Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case: Court denies lawyer’s presence during statement
Belthangady, July 11: The complainant in the ongoing Dharmasthala mass burials case appeared before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court in Belthangady Taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, on Friday for the recording of his statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), earlier Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
According to a press statement issued by advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande, who are representing the complainant, the latter had specifically instructed that at least one of the advocates be present during the statement recording process. The complainant, who is reportedly illiterate and unfamiliar with court procedures, had expressed concern about understanding the legal process and requested the assistance of his legal counsel during the proceedings.
The advocates claim they had clearly communicated this concern to the Court, but the judge did not permit them to remain present in the courtroom and the complainant’s statement was recorded in the absence of his lawyers.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
