Case lodged against BJP MLC Ravi Kumar for alleged remarks against Kalaburagi DC
IAS association condemns
Kalaburagi: A case has been registered against BJP MLC N. Ravikumar at the Station Bazar police station in Kalaburagi for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Tarannum. The complaint was filed by Dattatreya Ilkalaki, a resident of Sharana Sirasagi.
Meanwhile, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officers’ Association of Karnataka has strongly condemned the remarks made by Ravikumar during a public event held on May 24. In a statement, the association described his comments as “baseless, unjustified, and entirely devoid of rationale,” calling them “deplorable and unacceptable.”
The association asserted that DC Fouzia Tarannum is a civil servant of “impeccable integrity” with an outstanding record of public service. It expressed deep concern over what it viewed as a deliberate attempt to malign her professional reputation.
“This kind of provocative and false public statement not only demeans the dignity of a committed civil servant but also amounts to harassment, causing severe mental trauma,” the association stated. It emphasized that civil servants must be allowed to discharge their duties without fear or political pressure, and reaffirmed its commitment to upholding their dignity and integrity.
The association extended full solidarity to Tarannum and demanded an unconditional apology from MLC Ravikumar. It also urged the authorities to initiate legal proceedings under relevant laws for what it termed the deliberate dissemination of misinformation aimed at denigrating a senior official.
During his speech at the public program, Ravikumar had allegedly remarked, “The Kalaburagi DC office has also lost its independence. The DC madam is also listening to what they (Congress) say. I don't know whether the DC has come from Pakistan or is an IAS officer here,” a statement that has drawn widespread criticism.
We strongly condemn the remarks made by Shri Ravi Kumar, MLC, against @DCKalaburagi @Fouzia_Taranum at a public function. DC’s integrity & commitment to work is impeccable & her dedication to public service is irrefutable. IASOA will stand by officers who are targeted unjustly. pic.twitter.com/9HDUOCZLYW
— IAS Officers’ Association, Karnataka (@IASOAKarnataka) May 26, 2025
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SC to hear Mamata's plea against SIR on Wednesday; Bengal CM may attend proceedings
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday a plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Banerjee may attend the apex court on Wednesday during the crucial hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the SIR of electoral rolls in her state.
According to the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is scheduled to hear the petitions, including those filed by Banerjee, Mostari Banu and TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.
Sources say the chief minister, who has an LLB degree, may attend court and put forth her submissions. TMC sources too corroborated the claim, saying she is likely to attend the proceedings.
On January 19, the top court passed a slew of directions, observing that the SIR process in West Bengal should be transparent and not cause inconvenience.
It directed the Election Commission (EC) to display the names of those on the "logical discrepancies" list at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices, where documents and objections will also be submitted.
Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
Noting that 1.25 crore voters in the state figure on the "logical discrepancies" list, the CJI-led bench had directed that the offices for submitting documents and objections be set up within the panchayat bhavans or block offices and asked the West Bengal government to provide adequate manpower to the election authorities.
Banerjee had filed her petition on January 28. She has made the EC and the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer parties in the case.
The chief minister had earlier written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), urging him to halt the "arbitrary and flawed" SIR in the poll-bound state.
Sharpening her attack on the EC, Banerjee had warned that continuation of the SIR in the present form could trigger "mass disenfranchisement" and "strike at the foundations of democracy".
In a strongly worded letter, dated January 3, to CEC Gyanesh Kumar, she accused the poll panel of presiding over an "unplanned, ill-prepared and ad hoc" process marked by "serious irregularities, procedural violations and administrative lapses".
Earlier, O'Brien had filed an application alleging arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
The application claimed that since the inception of the SIR process in the state, the EC has issued instructions to officers at the ground level through "informal and extra-statutory channels", such as WhatsApp messages and oral directions conveyed during video conferences, instead of issuing formal written instructions.
"The ECI cannot act arbitrarily, capriciously or dehors law, nor can it substitute legally prescribed and set procedures with ad hoc or informal mechanisms," it said.
O'Brien has filed the application in his pending petition, which has challenged the order and guidelines issued by the poll panel directing SIR in various states, including West Bengal.
The application said it was reported that in the course of SIR in West Bengal, the poll panel has created and deployed a new category described as "logical discrepancies" without any written order or guideline to "issue/decide to issue notices to 1.36 crore electors without any statutory basis".
It has also sought a direction to the poll panel to publish the final roll only after the disposal of all claims, objections and hearings.
