Plea to reinstall Parashurama statue in Karkala theme park: HC orders petitioner to deposit Rs 5L
Bengaluru: Hearing a plea filed in relation to the Parashurama theme park in Karkala taluk of Udupi district, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the petitioner seeking the reconstruction of the statue of Parashurama to deposit Rs 5 lakh with the HC registry within two weeks.
The 33-foot tall statue installed at the park in Karkala in 2023 had to be brought down within a few months following a case of fraud. The petitioner Uday Shetty Muniyal had filed the petition asking the court to direct the state government to reconstruct the statue by issuing fresh tenders and engaging a reputed sculptor.
With the division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi, orally instructing Muniyal to deposit Rs 5 lakh with the High Court, the petitioner’s advocate agreed to deposit the money. Further, the HC instructed the petitioner to deposit the amount from his personal account.
The petition has claimed to be an active member of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and having contested the Assembly elections of 2023. He stated that the petition aimed to protect the religious sentiments and cultural heritage of Hindus in Coastal Karnataka region who revere Lord Parashurama as the creator of the Parashurama Kshetra (Tulu Nadu & Karavali regions).
The Parashurama Theme Park at Karkala was reportedly conceptualized and inaugurated with a 33-feet bronze statue of Lord Parashurama in January 2023, funded by the respondent-government departments, which is public money. However, in a serious fraud, the statue was constructed using brass instead of bronze, endangering public safety and violating public trust. The upper portion of the statue was dismantled in October 2023 and stored elsewhere, leaving the theme park incomplete and devotees deeply hurt, Muniyal said.
The plea claims that, while a CID investigation was ordered by the State, and a complaint was filed against sculptor Krishna Naik, accusing him of constructing the statue using brass instead of bronze, there was also a clear case of violation of Articles 25 and 26 Freedom of Religion and Protection of Religious Institutions and that the respondents have blatantly ignored the importance of freedom of religion and the emphasis on its practice.
The installation, maintenance and worship of the Parashurama statue in Karkala is an essential religious practice for devotees of Parashurama as a neglect or improper reconstruction of the statue constitutes a direct infringement of their right to freely practice religion, the plea states.
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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.
