bangalore news times

Bengaluru:  Equating sexual assault by a husband on his wife with rape, the Karnataka high court (HC) has refused to quash proceedings against a man accused of alleged rape by his wife. “A man is a man; an act is an act; rape is a rape, be it performed by a man, the ‘husband’, on the woman, ‘wife’,” said Justice M. Nagaprasanna on Wednesday. The single judge bench of the Karnataka HC was hearing a case filed by a woman against her husband for treating her as a ‘sex slave’ ever since they were married. The husband has been accused of forcing his wife into unnatural sex in the presence of their daughter too. Referring to exceptions in IPC Section 375 that says “Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape,” Justice Nagaprasanna said, exempting a husband for his acts, destroys the Right to Equality which is the soul of the Constitution. Terming the exception as regressive, the court put the onus of amending this p

J.S. Ifthekhar Hyderabad: Muslims should seek guidance of scholars and Ulema in religious matters. Approaching courts in every religious issue could prove harmful. This opinion was expressed by Karnataka’s social activist and managing director, bigbangalore.com, Aalam Pasha. Addressing a media conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday, he said Muslims had acted in haste right from Babri Masjid to triple talaq and the Hijab issue now. He blamed the religious leaders for not guiding the community the way they ought to have done with the result some people took these sensitive issues to the court. The verdicts have come against Muslim interest and as a result the community’s trust in judiciary is shaken. Aalam Pasha, who is known for legal battles, has filed many cases against important politicians in respect of encroachment of Wakf properties in Karnataka. He announced his decision to take up the legal battle against encroachment of Wakf properties in Telangana also. Expressing dism

Bengaluru : The Aam Admi Party’s Karnataka unit kick started its membership drive in the state on Wednesday. A peanut vendor in Cubbon Park, an auto rickshaw driver, a practicing doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist were among the people who joined the party at the event inaugurated by Aam Aadmi Party state president Prithvi Reddy. Speaking after the event, Prithvi Reddy said, “The Aam Aadmi Party has got the recognition as the fastest growing party in the country. We have come to power in two states even before the party completes 10 years. We are getting good response in Karnataka as well. We have started the membership drive in the state with the intent of building the party into a huge force.” Also Read Is BJP forcing ‘James’ off Karnataka screens for ‘The Kashmir Files’? The party is targeting a membership of 50 lakh people across Karnataka in a month. It intends to achieve the target through pro-people demonstrations, house visits and technology. It is also banking on Delhi

Bengaluru: Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah triggered a controversy on Tuesday by alleging that BJP leaders are forcing movie theatres to screen ‘The Kashmir Files’ instead of ‘James’ starring late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Assembly session here, Siddaramaiah alleged that the producer of ‘James’ had confided in him about the issue. “Since the producers of ‘James’ have booked theatres by paying advance amounts, forcing the theatres to screen ‘The Kashmir Files’ is nothing but harassment,” Siddaramaiah told mediapersons. ‘James’, which released on March 17, is Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film as an actor. The highly-popular actor and youngest son of thespian Rajkumar died of cardiac arrest in October last year. The Vivek Agnihotri directed ‘The Kashmir Files’, which deals with the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley more than 30 years ago, has been made tax-free by the ruling BJP in Karnataka

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday accused Tamil Nadu of constantly raking up the Cauvery river issue, for political reasons. Bommai was reacting to the neighbouring state’s moves to stall the proposed Mekedatu project in Karnataka. Speaking to media persons here, Bommai said: “Ever since India won independence, Tamil Nadu has been raking up the Cauvery issue for political gains.” Pointing out that the Cauvery Tribunal has given its verdict on the river water share for the states, Bommai said that Mekedatu has been envisaged to cater to the state’s drinking water requirements from the river which has its origin in Karnataka. Also Read Homes of those not contributing to Ram Mandir fund marked: Kumaraswamy “Despite all this, Tamil Nadu is creating problems and approaching the courts,” Bommai said. Bommai said that the state government will obtain the detailed project report, and take steps to implement the project. The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Mond

Bengaluru: Obliquely referring to the holocaust in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, Janata Dal-S leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday termed the ongoing Ram Mandir fund raising drive “a huge exercise of identifying and marking those who do not contribute” for its construction. In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy alleged that it appears that those collecting donations for the construction of the temple have been marking the houses of those who paid up. “It appears that those collecting donations for the construction of Ram Mandir have been separately marking the houses of those who paid money and those who did not. This is similar to what Nazis did in Germany during the regime of Hitler when lakhs of people lost their lives. “I don’t know where these developments, which are being witnessed in India, take us finally,” he said. Indirectly referring to Bengaluru-based 22-year-old climate change activist, Disha Ravi, who was arrested by the Delhi Police

Davanagere : The union government is seriously considering alternative measures for medical students who have returned from war torn Ukraine without completing their course, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Monday. Speaking to media persons in Davanagere before participating in the last rites of Karnataka student Naveen, Bommai said, the course in Ukraine is different from that of India. The union government is thinking about their future seriously as it involves the future of students from various states. Also Read Medical students studying in China stage protest in Kerala Though the government fee is low, medical education in the private sector is expensive. Even students who score 90-95 per cent are not getting seats in NEET, he said. As the cost of seats in management quota and NRI quota is high, the students look out for other options, he said. “We are considering a proposal to categorise the seats into A, B and C categories to reduce the fee. The M