Don’t take precipitative action against Aaj Tak and Sudhir Choudhary till September 20: Karnataka High Court tells Advocate-General
The Hindu
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday told the State Advocate-General to instruct the police not to take any precipitative action till September 20 against Aaj Tak Hindi news channel or its consulting editor Sudhir Choudhary based on the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them for allegedly spreading enmity between religions and groups through a programme telecast recently by giving ‘misinformation’ on the State government‘s subsidy scheme for minority communities.
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday told the State Advocate-General to instruct the police not to take any precipitative action till September 20 against Aaj Tak Hindi news channel or its consulting editor Sudhir Choudhary based on the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them for allegedly spreading enmity between religions and groups through a programme telecast recently by giving ‘misinformation’ on the State government‘s subsidy scheme for minority communities.
Justice Hemant Chandangoudar passed the interim order on the petitions filed by New Delhi-based Mr. Choudhary, Aaj Tak news channel, and TV Today Networks Ltd., which owns the news channel.
Observing orally that the FIR does not require any custodial investigation of the accused person as the matter is on record in public domain, Justice Chandangoudar orally told A-G Shashikiran Shetty to ensure that the police do not precipitate the matter till September 20, the next date of hearing on the petitions.
Stating orally that the court is neither rejecting the plea for stay of the FIR nor granting it as the court wants to dispose of the petition itself, the judge adjourned further hearing till September 20.
Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Uday Holla pointed out that the petitioners had only pointed out in the programme telecast on September 11 that the benefit of Swavalambi Sarathi scheme, which was announced in the State Budget in July, 2023, by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was extended only to religious minority communities and not any other categories as promised in the Budget.
The programme and comments made by the anchor was based on the public notice issued by the Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation (KSMDC) on the scheme in August-September extending the benefit of scheme only to religious minorities.
When the channel received comments on social media that the scheme was also available for other categories like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, etc and it is not limited only to non-Hindus, the channel aired a programme on September 12 clarifying that at present, the scheme was meant only for minority religions and the process of consultation is under way for extending the scheme to SCs/STs and public notices would be issued in this regard later.
ISKCON Bangladesh denounces arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, demands justice and peaceful coexistence for Sanatanis in Bangladesh.
Maharashtra Congress president criticizes Mahayuti's delay in choosing CM, alleging BJP's control and EVM irregularities in election.
Meta’s WhatsApp took its fight against the European Data Protection Board to Europe’s highest court.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
Manoj Kumar, a talented artist with a disability, paints vibrant murals at Sabarimala, narrating the story of Lord Ayyappa.
Lieutenant General Karanbir Singh Brar assesses operational readiness and administrative effectiveness in Hyderabad and Secunderabad military facilities.
Supreme Court ruling on socialism, secularism
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.
Tamil Nadu rain weather LIVE updates: Follow The Hindu’s live coverage of the Tamil Nadu rains on November 27, 2024
Norway parliament apologises to Sami and other minority groups for assimilation policies
Nearly 50% of Dakshina Kannada’s shoreline has been eroded, the highest among the three coastal districts of Karnataka, according to a study for the period 1990-2018 by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).