Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP after Karnataka HC judge says he was threatened with transfer
New Delhi, Jul 5: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted the BJP over the statement of a Karnataka high court judge hearing a matter related to a bribery case that he was being threatened with transfer and accused the saffron party of bulldozing ''institution after institution".
He also shared a video of the part of court proceedings during which the judge had said he was threatened with the transfer after his remark against the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) that it had become a "collection centre". The judge also said he was unfazed and added "I will bell the cat, even at the cost of my judgeship".
"A HC judge has been threatened for exposing BJP's corrupt government in Karnataka. Institution after institution is being bulldozed by the BJP. Each of us must stand with those fearlessly doing their duty (sic)," Gandhi said using the hashtag "#DaroMat"
The Congress has been attacking the BJP government in Karnataka on the issue of corruption. On Monday, Rahul Gandhi had demanded the sacking of Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai to ensure a fair investigation in the police recruitment scam.
In the less than two-minute-long video of court proceedings held on Monday, Justice HP Sandesh also said, "Your ADGP is so powerful and some person spoke with one of our High Court judge that came and sat with me and he says giving an example of transfer of one of another judge to another district.
"I will not hesitate to mention the name of the judge also. He came and sat by the side of me and said there is a threat to this court."
"I am glad to protect the independence of the judiciary at the cost of my judgeship. This should not happen. I will record the same in the order itself. This should not happen. You people keep on encouraging such people, the state government as well as... We have to protect the institution...Why should I hesitate," the judge is heard saying.
Justice Sandesh had made observations against the ACB last week and its functioning while hearing a bail plea of P S Mahesh, a deputy Tahsildar in the office of the Bengaluru City Deputy Commissioner.
Two staff members of the office were arrested for receiving a bribe of Rs.5 lakh in exchange for favourable order in a land dispute.
The court had taken objection as to how senior officers were being protected and only junior staff were being prosecuted in the case.
In a related development on Monday, Manjunath J, an IAS officer and former Bengaluru City Deputy Commissioner, was arrested in the same case by ACB.
Justice Sandesh had said the ACB had become a "collection centre" and the ADGP of the ACB a tainted officer. The court had, on June 29, ordered the ACB to produce details of all cases since 2016 in which the ACB had filed 'B' (closure) reports.
When the case came up for hearing again on Monday, Justice Sandesh said, "I am ready for it, for the good of people. Your ACB ADGP seems to be a powerful person. Somebody has told this to my colleague. I have been informed about it by a judge. The threat of transfer will be recorded in the order."
The judge further said he wasn't afraid of the threats.
"I don't fear anyone. I am ready to bell the cat. I have not accumulated property after becoming a judge. I don't care if I lose the position. I am the son of a farmer. I am ready to till the land. I don't belong to any political party. I don't adhere to any political ideology," he said.
The court had earlier directed for submission of the service records of the ACB ADGP.
"The service records of ACB ADGP have not been produced before the court. You have reached a stage of issuing threats to the judge. The whole state is mired in corruption. If Vitamin M is there, you will protect anyone," the judge said.
A HC judge has been threatened for exposing BJP's corrupt govt in Karnataka.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 5, 2022
Institution after institution is being bulldozed by the BJP.
Each of us must stand with those fearlessly doing their duty. #DaroMat pic.twitter.com/QxBR9FcFP8
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
