Kumaraswamy ministry expansion before legislature winter session: KPCC Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru, Nov 29: The H D Kumaraswamy-led JDS-Congress ministry in Karnataka would be expanded before the winter session of the state legislature commencing on December 10, state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the Congress and the JDS would decide on their respective nominees to the six-month old cabinet, whose expansion was expected last month itself.
"I had said cabinet expansion will be done before the assembly session. Session begins on 10th (December), before that cabinet expansion will happen we will do it," Rao said.
His statement came amid speculation that the expansion was likely to be delayed further.
Recent comments by Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G Parameshwar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah that they were waiting for appointment to meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is busy with elections in five states, to discuss about the expansion had triggered the speculation.
There is growing clamour from legislators, especially of Congress, for the expansion at the earliest.
According to the pact reached between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress and two for the JD(S).
This will be the second expansion of Kumaraswamy's ministry, who currently heads the 26-member cabinet.
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders from Hassan District, reportedly upset over the style of functioning of Kumaraswamy's Brother and District in-charge Minister H D Revanna, Thursday met senior leaders including KPCC chief Rao and Siddaramaiah here, requesting them to "save" the party in the district.
"We have been fighting against JD(S) and Revanna (Minister) over years, we remained silent (on joining hands) obeying high command's orders... now we are being targeted.
Their intention is to suppress Congress for their survival in Hassan," Congress leader Putte Gowda told reporters.
According to sources, the leaders have petitioned the Congress leadership against Revanna.
However, Rao said, they had come to explain about the party and political situation in the district and not to complain against any one.
"They had come with issues relating to party workers and seeking more representation for them in any government related nominations," he added.
Revanna, on his part, said, "let Siddaramaiah or Parameshwara speak to me if there are such issues. I don't do hate politics, there is no such thing."
Hassan, the home town of H D Deve Gowda and his sons Kumaraswamy and Revanna, is a JD(S) strong hold and Congress had been fighting the party bitterly over the years.
Both parties joined hands to form government in the state after the May 12 assembly polls threw up a hung verdict.
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Delhi HC Judge Justice Sharma to pass order on recusal plea by Kejriwal at 4.30 pm
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi High Court Judge Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Monday said that she would pronounce her verdict at 4.30 pm on pleas by Arvind Kejriwal and others seeking her recusal in the liquor policy case, as she took on record additional pleadings by the AAP chief on his plea.
Justice Sharma said although the pronouncement was scheduled for 2:30 pm, she was "going out of her way" in accepting Kejriwal's rejoinder as a written submission in the matter.
The former chief minister virtually appeared before the judge through video conferencing and urged her to take on record his rejoinder to the written submissions filed by the CBI.
Even as Kejriwal asserted that the registry's refusal to take his rejoinder on record was "miscarriage of justice", Justice Sharma remarked that since he was not being represented by a lawyer, the court went "out of its way" for him when it permitted him to file his additional affidavit last week even after the order on the recusal issue was reserved.
The judge said that as per the registry's rule, a party in-person must take permission from the court to file anything and since the present case was not "extraordinary", the same practice was being followed.
She added that in law, there is no concept of filing a "rejoinder" to the opposite party's written submissions, and she would permit Kejriwal to tender his pleadings as written submissions instead, so that he does not feel that he was not heard.
"You say you have respect for me. I have respect for every litigant. The rule of court will not be changed for anyone so I will treat it as written submissions. I am taking it on record. I am giving the indulgence to Mr Kejriwal," the court stated.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appeared for the CBI and opposed Kejriwal's request to file rejoinder. Mehta said nowhere in the country were pleadings taken on record after order was reserved a court.
He also said there is no concept of filing rejoinder to a written submission, and the court should do what it would do for any ordinary litigant.
Kejriwal had raised several objections against the judge hearing the CBI's plea against his discharge in the liquor policy case, including that she had earlier denied him relief on his petition challenging his arrest and refused to grant relief on the bail pleas of other accused, including Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha.
He also claimed that Justice Sharma had made "strong and conclusive" findings.
The former Delhi chief minister further alleged a "direct conflict of interest", claiming that the judge's children are empanelled central government lawyers who receive work through the solicitor general, who is appearing in the matter for the CBI.
Besides Kejriwal, the applications for recusal of the judge were also filed by AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak.
Other respondents, including Vijay Nair and Arun Ramchandra Pillai, have also sought her recusal.
Solicitor General urged Justice Sharma to initiate contempt action against Kejriwal and others for seeking her recusal.
Terming concerns by Kejriwal and others as "apprehensions of an immature mind," Mehta told the court it was a matter of "institutional respect" and Justice Sharma should not succumb to pressure as her recusal on "unfounded allegations" would set a bad precedent.
On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and others in the Delhi liquor policy case, saying that the CBI's case was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stood discredited in its entirety.
