Bengaluru Airport sees strong growth in passenger traffic, no passengers at Bidar Airport
Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport continued to witness strong passenger growth, with 1.02 crore passengers from April to June of this financial year, meaning overall passenger traffic has increased by 7.2 percent over the same period of the last fiscal year, according to the Air Traffic Report of the Airports Authority of India. Growth has largely come from international passengers, which grew by 20.3% this quarter.
The passenger figure across India was 99.54 million for the first quarter of this fiscal, which is a 7.1 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023-24.
While the Kempegowda International Airport recorded 95, 78,000 passengers in the first quarter, April-June saw an increase with 1, 02, 71,423 passengers, which includes 13,43,412 international passengers and 89,28,011 domestic flyers. Up till June the passenger traffic grew by 9.1% with 33, 21,878 travelers as compared to 30, 45,866 last year and domestic flyers witnessed a growth of 5.5%.
Belagavi airport, too, is on the rise with 93,087 passengers this quarter, 45.9 per cent more than the corresponding period last year. Mangaluru airport recorded 5,53,883 passengers against 4,62,590, a growth of 19.7 per cent.
Few airports like Mysuru recorded a decline in passanger count by 45.3% with with 23,475 flyers against 42,936 last year, Hubbali airport witnessed decrease of 25.5 per cent with 71,418 passengers against 95,809 last year and HAL airport dropped 28.4% to 3,653 passengers from 5,102. While Kalaburagi Airport recorded a 27.6% decline in the number of passenger, which is 10,713 from 14,802, the Bidar aiport saw no passenger this quarter, as against 5,396 the same period last year, with Star Air withdrawing its Bidar-Bengaluru operations.
The state's newest Shivamogga airport which was inaugurated in August 2023, recorded an increase in flyers with 21,326 passengers in its first quarter which went up to 6,227 passengers in June, which is a sign of gaining traction in the number of flyers.
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Cow has unique status, its slaughter can have repercussions on peace: Punjab and Haryana HC
Chandigarh (PTI): The cow is a pious animal and "certain acts" can severely impact peace when they offend beliefs of a "significant population group", the Punjab and Haryana High Court has said while dismissing the anticipatory bail given to a Nuh resident accused of transporting cows for slaughter.
Asif was booked along with two others in April this year under the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, and the Prevention of Cruelty Act, 1960, for allegedly transporting cows to Rajasthan for slaughter.
"The present offence, apart from its legal implications, is laden with emotional and cultural undertones, given the unique status of the cow in Indian society," Justice Sandeep Moudgil said in an order earlier this month. It was made public on Monday.
"This court cannot remain oblivious to the fact that in a pluralistic society like ours, certain acts, while otherwise private, can have severe repercussions on public peace when they offend the deeply held beliefs of a significant population group," the court said.
The cow is not only a pious animal but also an integral part of India's agrarian economy, the judge said.
According to the state counsel, the petitioner was actively involved in the alleged offence of cow slaughter. Therefore, his custodial interrogation was imperative for a fair and effective investigation, he submitted.
The court said the Constitution does not merely protect rights in abstraction but seeks to build a just, compassionate, and cohesive society.
"Article 51A(g) Constitution of India enjoins every citizen to show compassion to all living creatures. It is in this context that the alleged act of cow slaughter committed repeatedly, deliberately, and provocatively strikes at the core of constitutional morality and social order," said the order.
The court observed that the offence alleged in the present FIR deals with the allegation of slaughtering a cow in conscious defiance of existing law and in utter disregard to the sentiments of the community at large.
'It is evident from the material placed on record that the petitioner is not a first time offender. He is alleged to have previously been involved in three other FIRs pertaining to similar offences.
"In those cases, the petitioner was granted the benefit of bail as a gesture of judicial trust, which appears to have been misused, rather than respected," said the court order.
Anticipatory bail, it said, is a discretionary relief, intended to protect innocent individuals from motivated or arbitrary arrest, not to provide sanctuary to those who repeatedly violate the law with impunity.
Protection of pre-arrest bail should not be granted when the applicant has been shown to be a habitual offender or where his custodial interrogation is necessary for fair investigation, it said.
The court also cited the Supreme Court verdict in the 2005 State of Gujarat vs Mirzapur Moti Kureshi Kassab Jamat case that upheld the constitutional validity of cow slaughter prohibitory laws and recognised the constitutional directive under Article 48 of the Constitution as reflecting the moral and economic ethos of society.
While dismissing the anticipatory bail plea, Justice Moudgil also observed that the court is conscious of the need to safeguard individual liberty.
"But where such liberty is demonstrably misused, and where the petitioner's conduct is indicative of recidivism, the law must respond with firmness. The right to bail is not to be confused with the right to impunity," according to the order.
"Considering the serious nature of the allegations involving offences of moral turpitude, coupled with the fact that the petitioner is a habitual offender with a likelihood of reoffending, this court is of the opinion that no grounds are made out for grant of anticipatory bail," it said.
