Karnataka HC grants permission for "Justice for Sowjanya" protest at Bengaluru's Freedom Park
Bengaluru, Mar 19 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday granted permission for a peaceful protest at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, in connection with the ongoing demand for justice in the Sowjanya case.
The protest is being organised to demand justice for Soujanya (17), a second-year Pre-University student of the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College who was allegedly raped and murder on October 9, 2012.
The order was delivered by Justice M Nagaprasanna while hearing petitions filed by Karnataka Karmikara Vedike and Native Empowering and Equipping Team for Hope and Interaction.
While allowing the protest, the court underscored the importance of maintaining peace and public order. It stated that if there was any breach of the law during the demonstration, authorities would be within their rights to take appropriate legal action.
Justice Nagaprasanna observed, "I deem it appropriate to permit the petitioners to hold a peaceful protest, strictly in consonance with the law. If there is any violation of the observations made in the judgments of the coordinate bench, the respondent state is at liberty to take action in accordance with the law."
During the hearing, Advocate A Velan, representing the petitioners, informed the court that an initial request for holding the protest was submitted to the Tahsildar in Belthangady Taluk. The request was initially approved but later withdrawn following an objection from an advocate.
The petitioners argued that the state government could not suppress the fundamental right to protest by issuing blanket prohibitory orders. They contended that preventing citizens from demonstrating peacefully would amount to an infringement of their constitutional rights under Article 19(1)(a), which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Velan assured the court that the protest would be conducted lawfully.
Soujanya case was widely discussed case in Karnataka, especially in the coastal region of the state. Her body was found near the Nethravathi river and her hands were tied to a tree with her shawl.
The police charged Santhosh Rao with the murder but he was acquitted by a Bengaluru Sessions Court in 2023. Throughout the legal proceedings, Soujanya's family maintained that Santhosh Rao had been wrongfully implicated, alleging flaws in the investigation and asserting that Veerendra Heggade, a religious leader from Dharmasthala, shielded the actual perpetrators.
The acquittal prompted public protests and renewed calls for a fresh inquiry into the case.
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Trump returns from China; terms meeting with Xi as 'G-2'
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump returned from a visit to China, describing his discussions with President Xi Jinping as a meeting of leaders of "two great countries".
Trump landed at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the outskirts of the US capital on Friday evening, claiming to have struck important trade deals, including one for China's purchase of 200 aircraft from Boeing, with a promise for another 750, as well as agreements benefiting the American agriculture sector.
The US President reached here after a brief refuelling stop at Anchorage in Alaska.
“It’s the two great countries. I call it the G-2. This is the G-2. I think it’ll go down as a very important moment in history,” Trump told Fox News in an interview after meeting Xi on Thursday.
The Washington Post reported that Trump’s remarks put China on an equal footing with the US, exactly what Xi had aimed to achieve with the visit.
“Over two days of meetings here, the carefully choreographed pageantry and the reciprocal gestures of friendship and respect between the world’s two most powerful men displayed a geopolitical dynamic that the Chinese have long craved and Americans had resisted," the Post said.
Trump told Fox News that the relationship with Xi was important and suggested that China may not resort to any aggressive moves over Taiwan, at least till he is in office.
“It’s not a takeover. They just don’t want to see this place — we’ll call it a place because nobody knows how to define it — but they don’t want to see it go independent,” Trump said.
“I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. I think they might, to be honest with you,” Trump said.
"I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down," he said.
"We're not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China's going to be OK with that," he added.
The US President said he had invited Xi for a visit to Washington in September.
“Xi has done something Chinese leaders have been working toward for decades — bringing an American president to Beijing as an undisputed peer,” said Julian Gewirtz, who served as China director on the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.
“Xi used the opulent optics of the visit to make clear to the world that China and the United States are the two dominant, equally matched superpowers. There is no going back.”
Trump’s friendly statements toward Xi and the Chinese people were being amplified in China’s state-controlled media, sending the message that “we’re getting along better with the Americans,” John Delury, a senior Fellow at the Asia Society, was quoted as saying by The New York Times.
It was understandable that Trump wanted to be polite to Xi, but that the American president’s gushing approach “weakens Trump and the US”, R. Nicholas Burns, the ambassador to China during the Biden administration, was quoted as saying in The New York Times.
“Xi did not hesitate to warn Trump over Taiwan. Trump should not hesitate to be frank about our concerns, too,” he said.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet at least three times this year.
The US President has invited Xi to the White House in September.
Trump may travel to Shenzhen in China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November. And Xi could come to the G-20 summit in December in Miami.
“This is a summit again that was heavier on symbolism than it was on substance — focus on managing problems, not on solving the problems that exist between the US and China,” said Rush Doshi, former National Security Council deputy senior director for China and Taiwan in the Biden administration.
“The way that both leaders talked about the future indicates that this is going to be part of a process that will play out this year,” said Kurt Campbell, former deputy secretary of State in the Biden administration.
