30-plus countries to participate in Bengaluru Tech Summit starting tomorrow
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government's annual global Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) will begin on Wednesday, bringing together tech leaders, startups, investors and research labs from 30-plus countries.
Organised by the Karnataka government's Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology along with the union government's Software Technology Parks of India, the three-day 26th BTS, with the theme 'Breaking Boundaries', will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Palace Grounds here.
Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin and Semiconductor company AMD's EVP & CTO Mark Papermaster will be among the VIP dignitaries present at the inauguration.
A recorded message from Finland's Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala as well as one from Germany's Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport Volker Wissing will be relayed at the opening event.
Key figures from the Indian industry, including Rishad Premji, Executive Chairman of Wipro Limited; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Vision Group on Biotechnology, and Executive Chairperson of Biocon Ltd; S Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Vision Group on IT and Co-founder of Infosys; and Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, Vision Group on Startups, and Founding Partner of Accel Partners India will be a part of BTS.
A fireside chat on the topic 'Legend, Legacy & Leadership,' featuring Infosys Founder N R Narayana Murthy in conversation with Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath, and another featuring Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar are a part of the event.
Some of the key speakers addressing this year's BTS include Former Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Dr R A Mashelkar and Nobel Laureate American Biologist Dr H Robert Horvitz, among others.
BTS 2023 will feature a variety of events, including a multi-track conference on IT & electronics, deep tech, start-ups & biotech, an international exhibition on 'Global Innovation Alliance', India-USA Tech conclave, R&D-Lab2Market, B2B meetings, STPI IT Export Awards, Smart Bio awards, VC awards, ATF awards, Rural IT quiz, Bio quiz and Bio posters.
One of the highlights of this year's BTS is the Chandrayaan 3 ISRO-Industry Pavilion, symbolising India's significant presence in space exploration.
The pavilion not only showcases ISRO's achievements but also emphasises the contributions of SMEs, startups, and private industries in ensuring the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, organisers said.
Also, in a specially erected geodesic dome, using AR/VR (Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality) technology, an immersive experience is created to learn about lunar missions, space science, and technology behind Chandrayaan, they added.
The BTS Exhibition - the tech marketplace -- will include country pavilions as well as those of IT and biotech majors, unicorns, startups, R&D labs, and educational institutions.
According to organisers, BTS has committed to achieving Net Zero in the upcoming years. This ambitious goal involves integrating eco-conscious practices in procurement to minimise waste generation and establishing a 'sustainability advisory' for various stakeholders.
The summit promises over 75 sessions, 400-plus speakers, 350-plus startups, 600-plus exhibitors, and 20,000-plus business attendees.
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Gujarat HC raps law machinery for invoking POCSO Act in molestation case 8 years after FIR
Ahmedabad, Jan 1: The Gujarat High Court has berated the police and prosecution for invoking sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against four men in a molestation case eight years after the FIR was filed and when the trial was near completion.
The court of Justice Sandeep Bhatt observed in an order passed last week that despite the victim categorically stating in her deposition in 2018 that she was 15 years of age at the time of the incident, neither the assistant public prosecutor nor the presiding officer conducting the trial took any action.
The court said the investigating agency as well as prosecution prima facie failed to discharge their duty in appropriate manner and did not make "proper application of mind", leading to wastage of time.
The victim had in 2016 lodged a complaint in Mehsana town in the state against four persons for outraging her modesty in January that year.
The accused were charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to outraging modesty and intentional insult, among others, but not under the POCSO Act despite the victim being 15 years of age when the crime took place.
The accused persons moved the high court seeking quashing and setting aside of proceedings arising out of the first information report (FIR), and also the order dated July 19, 2024 of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court amending charges to include sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act.
While the court declined to quash the case, it permitted the petitioners to pursue the matter before the POCSO court at the time of further proceedings.
The court noted that when the investigation was carried out, the fact that the girl was 15 years of age at the time of the incident was nowhere referred to.
"Prima facie, it transpires that the investigating agency as well as prosecution and to some extent, the presiding officer have failed in discharging their duties in appropriate manner," the high court observed.
It further said that neither the investigating agency nor the prosecution made proper application of mind, causing the precious time of the investigating agency as well as the concerned court wasted from 2016 to 2024.
The court said it found no error by the concerned trial court in invoking the POCSO Act in the case, while allowing the petitioners to agitate at the time of further proceedings before the concerned POCSO court.
"It is also required to be noted that this is a glaring example that causal approach is adopted by the investigating agency and it has carried out investigation in a mechanical manner without properly applying its mind while carrying out investigation and at the time of filing of chargesheet," it said.
The court also directed the "concerned higher authorities" to look into the matter and do the needful "with a view to avoid repetition of such incidents and if required do the needful to carry out some exercise to find out if any similar incident/s is/are happening anywhere across the state".
It directed that the copy of the order be forwarded to the Director General of Police (DGP), Home Secretary, Law Secretary and the Registrar General of the High Court "for necessary consideration".
"It is expected that the petitioners, as such, are not at fault, and therefore, they can avail appropriate remedy in accordance with law," it added.
