Nipah OPD under telemedicine system launched in Kerala
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): In the wake of the Nipah outbreak in this north Kerala district, the state government has launched an OPD service under its e-Sanjeevini telemedicine system.
The launch of the special out patient department (OPD) service in connection with Nipah was highlighted by Kozhikode District Collector (DC) A Geetha.
In a Facebook post, the DC said the new service would help address doubts related to Nipah and those showing symptoms of infection can seek medical assistance without having to go to a doctor.
Geetha said that the e-Sanjeevani Nipah OPD service will be available from 8 am to 5 pm.
E-Sanjeevani platform is a system where you can seek treatment from the comfort of your home without visiting the hospital.
Apart from the regular OP, the services of specialist doctors are also assured every day, the DC's post said.
The Collector, in another post, said that while caution has to be exercised, there was no need to fear bats or attack them.
She cited reports of attacks on bats in the district as they are the cause of the Nipah outbreak.
In her post, Geetha has advised people against frightening bats by throwing stones at them or making loud noises by bursting firecrackers, setting fire to their roots and cutting down trees they inhabit.
The DC said that when the bats infected with Nipah are harmed, frightened or moved from their habitat, the level of the virus in their body increases due to stress.
As a result, the viruses will be expelled through the body fluids and this will increase the risk of spread of the infection, she said.
Bats are mammals that make a definite contribution to our tropical habitats, and are critical to pest control, plant pollination and seed dispersal, the DC said.
She requested everyone to understand the seriousness of the situation and act responsibly, saying that people need to get used to living cautiously alongside bats without fearing them.
In a relief for the Kerala government, no fresh positive cases of Nipah virus were reported on Saturday in the state even as five more people, who came into contact with those infected, showing some symptoms of the disease were admitted in isolation at the medical hospital here.
However, results of 51 samples sent for testing were awaited. At present, six cases of Nipah infection have been confirmed in the state.
Of the six, two persons have died bringing the number of active cases to 4.
The government had said that the number of people who were suspected of coming into contact with those infected has risen to 1,192.
Additionally, house surveillance was carried out in 22,208 homes in the containment zones till date.
All the cases so far have emanated from the first person infected -- the index case -- who died on August 30.
This is the fourth time the viral infection has been confirmed in the state. It was detected in Kozhikode in 2018 and 2021 and in Ernakulam in 2019.
The World Health Organisation and ICMR studies have found that the entire state, not just Kozhikode, is prone to such infections.
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Karnataka MLA Vinay Kulkarni disqualified after conviction in Goudar murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.
“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.
“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.
Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.
Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.
On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.
Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.
However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.
