No pressure to withdraw CID probe into Ranya gold smuggling case, says home minister G Parameshwara
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said there was no pressure on him to withdraw a CID probe into the gold smuggling by Kannada actress Ranya Rao.
Karnataka government withdrew its order for a CID investigation into the lapses and dereliction of duty by police personnel deployed at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) with regard to Ranya, within 24 hours after pronouncing it.
The Minister said since the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) ordered appointing Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to probe the possible role of Ranya’s step father K Ramachandra Rao, a DGP rank officer, a parallel investigation was not needed.
He insisted that he was the one who immediately ordered CID investigation into the protocol lapses as soon as the matter came to light.
"In the meantime, the Chief Minister’s Office also gave direction to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms since he (Ramachandra Rao) is an IPS officer. So we decided not to order inquiry by our (police) department and let the DPAR probe it," Parameshwara told reporters here.
Hence, the DPAR order is retained. We withdrew because two separate investigations should not take place, he explained.
"There was no pressure. Neither anyone asked for an inquiry nor there was any pressure on us to withdraw it. That’s what had transpired. There is no confusion," The Minister said.
Regarding BJP sharing a photograph showing him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attending Ranya Rao’s wedding, Parameshwara dismissed it saying, “We go to thousands of weddings.”
Recently, gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya at Kempegowda International Airport here. The next day, officials said, searches were conducted at her residence where gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash were recovered.
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Class 12 students missing Mar 15 Hindi exam due to Holi will get another opportunity: CBSE
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI): CBSE Class 12 students unable to appear in Hindi exam scheduled on March 15 on account of Holi will get another opportunity write the paper, the board announced on Thursday.
"It has been informed to CBSE that, though the festival of Holi would be celebrated on March 14 in most parts of the country, in few places, either the celebrations would take place on March 15 or celebrations would spill over to March 15," CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj.
He said that after the feedback, it has been decided that while examination would be held as per schedule, the students who find it difficult to appear on February 15 may choose to write the paper on a later date.
"It has been decided that such students would be given an opportunity to appear along with those students for whom a special examination is conducted as per the policy of the board for students participating in national or international sports events," he added.
