Bengaluru, Oct 13: BJP MLA Uday Garudachar was on Thursday sentenced to two months' imprisonment by a local court in Bengaluru for keeping off information in his election affidavit.
An Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court sentenced him to prison and fined him Rs.10,000 for failing to mention two pending criminal cases against him and the fact that he was the managing director of a private company.
He has been found guilty under the Representation of Peoples Act after a complaint was lodged by a person in this regard.
Though the MLA has been sentenced, considering that the sentence is less than two years, the court granted him bail allowing him to appeal to a higher court. He was released on a personal bond of Rs.25,000 and a surety. Uday Garudachar contested from the Chikpet Assembly Constituency from Bengaluru in 2018 and won on a BJP ticket. The affidavit was filed on April 18, 2018.
It was alleged that though he was the managing director of the private firm, his affidavit mentioned him only as an investor. His wife was a director of the same company, which was also not mentioned in the election affidavit. It was also found that he had not mentioned the bank account details of his wife in the affidavit.
The allegation against him as recorded by a court read, "The accused was aware of the criminal case...pending...the accused did not mention about the same in the affidavit. The accused has sworn false affidavit and submitted the same before the election officer."
"The accused also had to furnish his wife's bank balance in the affidavit. But he has not stated the actual balance in her account as on the date of filing the said affidavit. The accused has also stated in the affidavit that he is the investor in the private company and others as well..." Sentencing him, the trial court said the charges against the MLA were proved.
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New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken "bold decisions" to combat terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack and affirmed his and his party's support for all the decisions to end the menace.
"We need to teach the terrorists a lesson. This is the first time that a prime minister has taken such bold steps. No prime minister has given such supreme authority to the army," Deve Gowda said at a press conference.
The Janata Dal (Secular) leader noted Modi implemented several measures, including granting full operational freedom to the Indian Armed Forces to determine the mode, targets and timing of their response.
Founded by Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal (Secular) is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. His son HD Kumaraswamy is a minister in the Union government.
Deve Gowda noted that the current situation could not be compared to the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, describing them as "different scenarios".
The former prime minister also welcomed the Centre's decision to enumerate caste in the upcoming general census while hitting out at the caste survey conducted in Karnataka.
"Karnataka is indulging in politics in the name of caste census. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Cabinet does not agree with the caste census conducted in the state," he said.
Deve Gowda said the Karnataka survey had identified 1,351 castes and sub-castes, with the Kurubas being among the prominent backward communities.
He also questioned Siddaramaiah's commitment to his AHINDA platform. "How many staff has he hired from backward communities or his own Kuruba community in his own office?"
The Karnataka caste survey report has recommended reclassifying the Kuruba community from category 2A to the more backward 1B category, reflecting its socio-economic status.
AHINDA represents a significant portion of Karnataka's population, including religious minorities (Muslims and Christians), Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.