EVMs tampered at 30 to 40 constituencies in Karnataka election: AICC Gen. Secretary BK Hariprasad
Mangaluru: ’Selective Tampering’ has been done at 30 to 40 constituencies in the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly polls, AICC general secretary BK Hariprasad told Vartha Bharati.
Mr. Hariprasad gave this statement when Vartha Bharati asked him following the complaints are given by several Congress candidates who allegedly lost due to EVMs.
When asked why no national level party is taking a clear stand on EVM, he said "I am officially speaking on behalf of the AICC that ‘Selective Tampering’ has been done in 30 to 40 Assembly constituencies. We are discussing what sort of action should be taken about this,” he said.
The results of the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections have shocked all the parties, their leaders, and workers except BJP. Everywhere, everybody was discussing that how the Congress has reduced from 122 to 78 seats without any anti-government or anti-Congress wave. Questions were also raised on how the BJP directly gained 104 seats from 40, while no strong support was seen in any part of the state in favor of BJP.
Siddaramaiah was most preferred choice for Chief Minister in all the surveys. Congress was not lagging behind even in election campaigning when compared with other two parties. The BJP had enough internal conflicts. It was a matter of discussion among Congress leaders, workers and even among voters that Congress getting lesser seats and BJP securing so many seats at once is not at all possible. Even today people are discussing this. Most of them complained about the EVM machines.
Some of the prominent Congress candidates, who lost the elections, have complained EVMs. But, no notable political leaders, particularly the national leaders of the major political parties, raised questions on it. Therefore the winners attributed the losers’ complaint to the saying ‘A bad workman blames his tools.’ But now, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, Hariprasad made this remarkable statement.
Here is the highlight of his statement:
"We have complained that in several constituencies in Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada District) our candidates have lost only because of this. (KPCC president) Dr. G Parameshwara had also spoken regarding this yesterday. Something went wrong in many places. ‘Selective Tampering’ has been done in 30 to 40 Assembly constituencies. What does it mean when VVPAT machines have found outside in Vijayapura? Think yourself. Where did they come from? It is a big problem that the issue is not being discussed at the national level. Mayawati complained about this and withdrew it. At this point, the right direction must come from the court itself at the highest level. This has been discussed at AICC. EVMs have been tampered at specific constituencies. The Election Commission should immediately shift its attention to this and take action. We will discuss and decide what to do from the party end, " Hariprasad told Vartha Bharati.
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Gujarat HC orders man to deposit Rs 1 lakh for attending virtual proceedings from toilet
Ahmedabad, July 14 (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Monday directed a man, facing contempt of court for attending a virtual court hearing while relieving himself on a toilet seat, to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the court's registry after observing that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology.
The incident occurred on June 20 when Justice Nirzar S Desai was hearing a case. A video of the man soon went viral, prompting the high court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings.
On Monday, the division bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani directed the man, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, to deposit Rs 1 lakh in the court registry by July 22, the next date of the hearing.
"The contemnor has admitted to his conduct during the live-streaming proceedings and submitted that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology. Thus, at this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit the amount of Rs 1 lakh before the registry of this court by the next date of hearing," the court ordered.
According to the report submitted to the court, Shah attended the hearing on June 20 for a total of 74 minutes, during which he was seen sitting on a toilet and relieving himself.
Shah's lawyer told the court that his client would tender an unconditional apology for his behaviour.
When questioned, the lawyer confirmed he had advised Shah to present himself appropriately for the hearing.
The now-infamous video showed Shah using a toilet during the proceedings, sparking outrage and leading the court to order the video’s immediate removal and ban, citing damage to the judiciary’s image.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gujarat High Court has permitted lawyers and litigants to join hearings virtually. Proceedings are live-streamed via the court's YouTube channel.
After finishing his business, Shah was seen picking up his phone and leaving. Justice Desai appeared unaware of his surroundings at the time.
Wearing wireless earphones, he can be seen logging in again later in the livestream, sitting in a room and waiting for his turn.
After nearly 10 minutes, he identified himself as Abdul Samad Shah, a resident of Kim village in Surat and the complainant in an assault case.
His lawyers told the court that Shah had lodged a complaint against two individuals but that a compromise had been reached between both parties.
While hearing the petition filed by the accused seeking to quash the FIR, Justice Desai asked Shah if he consented to the plea. Upon hearing Shah’s no-objection, the judge approved the petition.
