Kannada Actor Padmaja Rao sentenced to three-month jail, fined Rs 40 lakh over bounced cheque
Mangaluru: The Eighth Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mangaluru has sentenced renowned Kannada actor Padmaja Rao to three months of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 40.2 lakh in connection with a bounced cheque linked to a loan she allegedly took.
The case was initiated after Veerendra Shetty, a resident of Maryhill and owner of 'Veeru Talkies' in Mangaluru, filed a complaint against Rao. Shetty claimed that Rao had borrowed Rs 40 lakh from him and provided a cheque dated June 17, 2020, as security for the loan. However, when Shetty attempted to encash the cheque, it was dishonored due to insufficient funds in Rao's account. Following the cheque's rejection, Shetty issued a notice to Rao on June 30, 2020, demanding repayment of the loan within 15 days, but the actor allegedly failed to fulfill this obligation.
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During the court proceedings, Padmaja Rao denied the allegations, asserting that she never borrowed money from Shetty and did not issue him any cheque as security. Rao further accused Shetty of stealing a cheque from her possession and forging her signature to build a false case against her. However, she was unable to provide substantial evidence to support her claims.
After reviewing the case, Judge Fawaz P.A. sentenced Padmaja Rao to three months of imprisonment. Additionally, she was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 40.2 lakh, which includes Rs 40.17 lakh to be paid to the complainant and Rs 3,000 as a penalty to the government.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
