Source:-newindianexpress.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on \nTuesday directed the Mangaluru police to preserve CCTV footage related \nto violence during an anti-CAA protest in Mangaluru on December 19, \n2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar issued interim directions while hearing the PIL filed by freedom fighter HS Doreswamy and former Mangaluru mayor K Ashraf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressing apprehension over the \npossibility that the police could destroy digital evidence to protect \nthemselves from criminal prosecution, the petitioners urged the court to\n provide interim relief by issuing directions to the Mangaluru Police \nCommissioner to preserve footage recorded between 10 am December 19, \n2019 to 1 am on December 20, 2019 from all CCTV cameras installed by the\n police, city administration and private shops in the area where the \nviolence occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video footage clearly shows the \nillegal and atrocious manner in which police acted against unarmed \npeaceful protestors, innocent bystanders and attacked the mosque, the \nPIL said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police resorted to throwing stones and \nother objects, revealing a partisan approach. The police abetted and \nprovided protection to the people who ransacked shops and threw stones \nat shops and people in the area, the petitioners alleged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe police had actively hunted down \nvarious people and tortured them on the street isolating individuals \nfrom the crowd. Thereafter, thrashing them with lathis and other means, \nwhich indicates the extent of excessive force used by the police even \nbefore they started the gunfire which was inflicted upon people, it has \nled to the death of two persons and gravely injured several others who \nwere neither armed nor provoked the police, which had warranted such an \naction\u201d, the petitioners said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The petitioners have also urged the \ncourt to issue directions to Mangaluru police commissioner to register \nFIRs in all complaints received from injured people and family members \nof the deceased under appropriate provisions of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HC converts PIL on KC Valley Project into suo motu petition
\nBengaluru: The HC on Tuesday directed the state government to appoint \nIndian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct environment impact \nassessment (EIA) on the KC Valley Project. The court issued directions \nafter converting a PIL filed by Anjaneya Reddy into a suo motu petition,\n as Reddy had made misleading and incorrect claims against eminent \nprofessors of IISc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under what authority CM stopped tenders, asks HC
\nBengaluru: The Karnataka HC on Tuesday asked the state government to \nexplain under what authority Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had issued \ninstructions to stop tenders for various developmental projects \nannounced by the previous coalition government under the Chief \nMinister\u2019s Nava Bengaluru scheme. A division bench of Chief Justice \nAbhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar issued directions \nafter hearing a PIL filed by the Dasarahalli-Rachenahalli Lake \nImprovement and Conservation Trust and two others. Contending that the \norder to stop the tender is \u201cillegal\u201d, the petitioners said the works \nunder the government order dated February 1, 2019, are of public \nimportance. They urged the court to stay the order dated August 5, \n2019, and direct BBMP to proceed with the works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HC seeks state\u2019s response on BBMP elections
\nThe High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to submit its \nresponse to the PIL filed by the State Election Commission (SEC), \nseeking direction for immediate issue of final denotification of \ndelimitation, as well as the final notification of reservation of seats \nin all 198 wards of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike. The SEC has \ncontended that the tenure of the present BBMP council is expiring on \nSeptember 10, 2020. Therefore, the state has to issue a final \nnotification of delimitation of 198 wards under Section 21 of the \nKarnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, and final reservation of \nseats to all 198 BBMP wards, under Section 7(2) of the Act.<\/p>\n