Will have to examine if resignations are genuine: Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru, Jul 11: Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar said MLAs, who appeared before him Thursday, have given their resignations in the "right format" and he will have to examine whether they are "voluntary and genuine."
"The MLAs had come, they said they want to resign, I said they can give...they asked me to accept it.
It cannot be like that I will have to see whether it is genuine or voluntary and be convinced," Kumar told reporters after meeting the disgruntled legislators.
Asserting he will abide by rules, the speaker said he will take a "just decision which may be of convenience to some and inconvenience to some."
Meanwhile, sources said the MLAs were returning to Mumbai.
Kumar said "the proceedings of today have been videographed, and will be sent to the Supreme Court Registrar General.
He said "Court has asked me to come to a decision, I have written to them (SC) the word "forthwith" they have said, I am unable to understand- what to decide, as Constitution says something else, so I have given them (MLAs) time (to appear before me).
The speaker also said he has asked MLAs some questions and they have answered them.
As per the Karnataka Legislature Rules, intended resignation should be "in perfect format," he said.
"Unfortunately, eight of the 13 letters that reached my office (last week) were not in the format," the speaker said.
"MLAs have submitted resignation in right format now..
I will have to examine whether resignations are voluntary and genuine," he added.
Kumar also insisted that he was neither responsible for the current political situation nor its outcome.
As many as 10 Karnataka rebel MLAs, who were camping in Mumbai, arrived here by two special flights, hours after the Supreme Court allowed them to meet the Assembly Speaker to convey their decision to resign.
The MLAs boarded a luxury bus from the HAL airport and proceeded towards the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat.
The top court earlier asked the speaker to decide "forthwith" on Thursday about the resignation of 10 rebel Congress-JD(S) coalition MLAs, allowing them to meet him at 6 pm.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the decision taken by the speaker has to be intimated on Friday when the court takes up the matter again.
The resignation of 16 MLAs (13 from Congress and three from JDS) has pushed the coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Two independent MLAs have also withdrawn support to the coalition government.
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Sculptor Ram Sutar, designer of Statue of Unity, passes away
New Delhi (PTI): Noted sculptor Ram Sutar, known for designing the world's tallest statue — Statue of Unity — in Gujarat, passed away late on Wednesday night at his Noida residence, his son said.
He was 100 and ailing with age-related illnesses.
"It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father Shri Ram Vanji Sutar on 17th December midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said in a note shared with the press on Thursday.
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Born in a humble family in Gondur village under the Dhule district of present-day Maharashtra on February 19, 1925, Sutar is known to have been drawn to sculpting from his childhood.
A gold medallist from JJ School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar, has to his credit a long list of achievements.
The iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi seated in a meditating pose and of Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse on the Parliament premises rank among his finest creations.
The Statue of Unity honours Sardar Patel, country's first deputy prime minister and home minister.
Sutar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.
Recently, Sutar was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the state's highest award.
