K’taka Govt's stand on quashing of charges against Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat – Not against interests
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress government has taken the position that the High Court's decision to quash the chargesheet against Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramachandrapura Math, the first accused, and RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, the third accused, in the Shyam Prasad Shastri suicide case, is "not against the government's interest."
This stance, expressed by the Deputy Secretary of the Prosecution Department, emerged after the government concluded that an appeal against the High Court’s decision to the Supreme Court would not be “a suitable case.” The decision followed departmental-level discussions, details of which were obtained through an RTI request by thefile.in.
The file containing the discussions reveals that the Karnataka High Court’s order was reviewed alongside the opinions of government lawyers. It was determined that the court had issued its ruling with valid reasons, after hearing arguments from both sides and considering the case records and relevant laws.
The High Court’s order, delivered under Section 482 of the CrPC in conjunction with Sections 506, 306, and 34 of the IPC, was not seen as contradictory to the government’s interests. As a result, the Prosecution Department concluded that it was not a case fit for appeal.
Deputy Secretary Anita H.V. noted in the file on September 20, 2023, that she agreed with the legal experts’ opinion and had ordered the closure of the file, stating that the High Court’s order was not suitable for an appeal to the Supreme Court. The government communication was subsequently issued on September 22, 2023, affirming the decision not to pursue further legal action.
This decision came four months after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s return to power for his second term, with the Prosecution Department under the Home Ministry issuing the formal communication.
The government lawyers were also of the opinion that filing an appeal was not appropriate in this case, and the government upheld their view. The official order, issued under reference numbers HD/11172/HCP1/2023 and 3571/AG-G-CRL/23-24, was based on the detailed legal assessment of the case against Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji and Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat.
In the meantime, the original complainant, Sandhyalakshmi, has filed a separate appeal in the Supreme Court (SLP Criminal Petition Number 4309-4310/2024) challenging the High Court's decision. As a result, the Karnataka government was named the second respondent in this appeal.
The Supreme Court, in turn, issued a notice to the Karnataka government on March 19, 2024, with senior advocate D.L. Chidanand assigned to represent the case. The subsequent order was issued on April 5, 2024.
Given the ongoing legal developments, officials suggested reconsidering the earlier decision of September 22, 2023, and pursuing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the High Court’s April 2023 order. However, no final decision has been made by the Prosecution Department thus far. The department has submitted the case file for appropriate orders regarding the High Court's ruling.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
