BJP protests across state demanding DK Shivakumar to resign
Bengaluru (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday held protests in various parts of the state against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's purported comments regarding changing the Constitution to accommodate four per cent reservation for Muslims in the state.
However, the senior congress leader on Monday denied making any such comments and claimed that he was "misquoted".
Shivakumar's response came in the wake of the BJP forcing repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha on Monday over his alleged remarks on the matter.
Condemning his purported statement, protests were held today by the BJP workers and its members in various parts of the state -- Mandya, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Kalaburagi-- accusing the Karnataka government of doing "appeasement politics". Protesters sought for Shivakumar's apology and demanded his immediate resignation.
In Bengaluru, protests were held in Basavanagudi, Padmanabhanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar here.
"Protests were held condemning DK Shivakumar's statement regarding changing the Constitution. Protests were held in all our mandals, at district level across the state. Our MLAs, MLCs, former ministers and senior party leaders like R Ashoka and B Y Vijayendra too joined the protests," a senior BJP functionary said.
In Mysuru, the protest led by BJP MLA TS Srivatsa was held in front of Ambedkar statue, which falls under Ashokapuram police station limits.
Chanting "Jai Bhim" slogans, the party workers garlanded Ambedkar statue and accused Shivakumar and the Congress party of being "Anti-Dalit" and "Anti-Constitution".
Speaking to reporters here, the BJP MLA demanded sacking of Deputy Chief Minister and alleged that the statement made by Shivakumar was "Anti-Constitutional". He demanded that a case should be filed against him suo motu and that he should be arrested for his purported statement.
In Bidar, the BJP workers burnt effigy's of Shivakumar in city's Ambedkar circle and raised slogans against the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Former Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba who participated in the protest along with other BJP leaders condemned "the statement".
In Hubballi, the protest was led by BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai at city's Sangolli Rayanna Circle.
Shouting slogans against Shivakumar, the protesters hit portrait of Shivakumar with slippers.
In Kalaburagi, a massive protest was held by the BJP workers from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Circle to the District Collector's office opposing the four per cent reservation given for Muslims in public contracts and condemning Shivakumar's alleged statement.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a Bill to provide four per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, amidst strong protests from opposition BJP.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC invalidates appointment of 25,753 teachers, other staff in West Bengal schools
New Delhi (PTI): In a major jolt to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted".
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments and ordered the Trinamool Congress-led state government to initiate a fresh selection process to be concluded within three months.
"In our opinion, this is the case where the entire selection process is vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with attempts to cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair.
"The credibility and legitimacy of selection are diluted, and accordingly, we have to keep it (order of the high court) with some modifications," the CJI said while pronouncing the verdict on as many as 127 petitions pertaining to the Calcutta High Court verdict.
The CJI also said the employees whose appointments have been annulled are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments earned so far.
It, however, made relaxation for certain disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job.
The bench fixed pleas, including the one filed by the West Bengal government challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe, for hearing on April 4.
The detailed judgement is awaited.
On February 10, the top court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions in the matter and said that those who got jobs wrongly may be knocked out.
The top court commenced the final hearing on December 19 last year and heard the parties on January 15, 27 and February 10 before reserving its verdict on the politically-sensitive case.
Citing irregularities such as OMR sheet tampering and rank-jumping, the high court had invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.
On May 7 last year, the apex court stayed the high court's order over the appointments made by the state's School Service Commission (SSC).
The top court, however, permitted the CBI to continue with its probe into the matter.
The case stemmed from the alleged irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal SSC in which 23 lakh candidates appeared for 24,640 posts and a total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued.
The apex court had termed it a "systemic fraud".
The high court instructed those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, those recruited after the expiry of the official date, and those who submitted blank OMR sheets but obtained appointments to return all the remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent per interest.
Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha are among the accused being probed in the recruitment scam.
