SC refuses to pass order on Karnataka Congress request about CM Yediyurappa's audio clip
New Delhi, Nov 5: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to pass order on the request of Karnataka Congress regarding fresh audio clip in which state Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is purportedly referring to the 17 rebel Cong-JD(S) MLAs who were disqualified as Assembly members.
A 3-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said that since it has already reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, filed by the MLAs challenging the decision of the then Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to disqualify them, no further order was required to be passed at present.
"As judgment in these matters has already been reserved on October 25, 2019, no further orders are required at present," said the bench, also comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari.
The apex court said the issue raised regarding hospitality provided to the rebel MLAs in Mumbai, allegedly by the BJP, was already brought before it during the hearing on the pleas filed by these disqualified lawmakers.
A purported audio clip of Yediyurappa, expressing anguish against his party leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs for the December 5 Assembly by-polls in 15 constituencies, had surfaced last Friday.
In the audio, he is purportedly saying that the MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under BJP national President Amit Shah's watch.
By-polls to 15 out of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs will be held on December 5.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Karnataka Congress, told the bench that in the audio clip, Yediyurappa has said during the core committee meeting of the BJP that the whole thing was "engineered" by BJP national president, who is also the union Home Minister.
He said since the top court has reserved its verdict on the batch of petitions filed by disqualified MLAs, they want to place the audio clip on record.
"You have extensively covered everything in the arguments," the bench told Sibal.
Sibal, however, told the bench that audio clip has come into light after arguments were over in the apex court.
"Order of the speaker has to be tested. If you want to place additional evidence on record then we will have to issue notice," the bench said, adding, "You have brought it to our notice, we will consider it. Allow us to deliver the judgement".
The Karnataka Congress has requested the top court to take on record the audio clip in which Yediyurappa is purportedly hitting out at his party leaders for not recognising the "sacrifice" of the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, because of whom the BJP could come to power in the state.
The speaker had disqualified 17 lawmakers as MLAs, ruling that they cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th Karnataka Assembly (in 2023).
The top court had on October 25 reserved verdict on the batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of the 17 Karnataka MLAs before the trust vote moved by the previous H D Kumaraswamy government.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
