Karnataka HC stays proceedings in case against BJP MLA Harish Poonja for his remarks on Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jun 9: The High Court of Karnataka on Friday granted an interim stay on the proceedings in a case against Belthangady BJP MLA Harish Poonja for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The case against Poonja was registered at Belthangady police station over his comments made during his poll victory speech in May claiming that Siddaramaiah had "got 24 Hindu activists killed" during the Congress rule between 2013-18..
Justice M Nagaprasanna granted the stay on a petition by Poonja.
Belthangady Mahila Congress president Namitha K Poojary had lodged a complaint against Poonja over his speech..
The police registered a FIR under Sections 153, 153(A), 505(1)(b), 505(1)(c) and 505(2).
ALSO READ: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar gets relief from K'taka HC in COVID-19 rules violation case
The petition by Poonja stated that the registration of FIR by police after a complaint by a local Congress leader was politically motivated and it was being used as a tool to harass him.
"The petitioner is accused for having committed the offence of causing criminal intimidation and wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot and promoting disharmony among two different religions. But the investigation agency has not done any primary investigation to ascertain whether such provisions are really applicable against the petitioner herein as with no time they have registered the FIR," the petition said.
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.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
