MLA Mahesh Kumatalli missing case: HC issues notice to Ramesh Jarkiholi, state government
Bengaluru, February 11: The Karnataka High Court on Monday served notice to former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi and the state government over missing case of Athani MLA Mahesh Kumatalli.
Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by advocate and Youth Congress secretary Pramod Dayanand Hiremani of Athani, a bench comprising of Justice Phaneendra and Justice Natarajan issued the notice.
The advocate, arguing for the petitioner, said that former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi kept Athani MLA Mahesh Kumatalli in house arrest illegally and the police should be directed to trace him and produce him before the court.
The advocate further stated that the MLA is facing threat to his life, so the Home department and Athani police should immediately be directed to trace the missing MLA and produce him before the court. While further appealing the court to order immediate interrogation of former minister Ramesh Jarakholi.
About incident
It is said that Mahesh had allegedly informed the applicant of the petition that Ramesh had been forcing him to resign from his MLA post, and was also threatening of kidnapping him if he doesn’t resign. And within sometime after this, Mahesh went missing and now has been untraced for over a month.
He was not found in his constituency Athani, nor did he attend any of the assembly session this month where the JDS-Congress coalition government presented the budget. According to the applicant, the MLA’s family is also not responding clearly about his whereabouts.
The apoplicant has also filed a complaint at the Athani police station dated Feb 7, but the police has not yet filed an FIR into the matter, citing that Mahesh might have been to Bengaluru to attend the assembly session, where he was not found to be, when enquired at the legislator’s house.
The HC has now directed the state government and the police to investigate the matter and trace the missing MLA.
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Annpurna Devi expresses anguish over girl's rape in TN, urges NCW to act
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi on Tuesday expressed her anguish over the alleged gang rape of a girl in Tamil Nadu and urged the National Commission for Women to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
In a post on X, Devi said, "Deeply anguished by this horrific incident. I urge the NCW to take immediate cognisance and act swiftly in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the strictest action against all culprits."
Devi said, "Justice must be swift and unsparing — the accused must be brought to book without delay," adding, "the safety, dignity, and justice of every daughter of India remain our highest priority."
"We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in this difficult hour," she said.
Reacting to a post by former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who flagged concerns over the law and order situation in the state, Devi said such incidents "expose grave concerns" under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.
Annamalai, in his post, alleged that a 15-year-old girl from Kanchipuram, who had come to participate in a temple festival near Seyyaru in Tiruvannamalai district, was gangraped.
He said the incident was "deeply shocking and enraging" to him and alleged that such crimes point to a "complete failure" of law and order in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai demanded immediate arrest of all those involved and the "harshest punishments" for the accused.
He also called for full protection and mental health counselling for the survivor and her family.
