BJP MLAs storm Speaker’s chamber over conduct in Karnataka Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12: Tensions flared in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday as BJP MLAs barged into Speaker U T Khader’s chamber, expressing strong objections to his handling of the proceedings. The confrontation came amidst heated debates over the recent police lathi charge on Panchamasali Lingayat protesters, with the ruling Congress and opposition BJP trading accusations.
The issue arose when Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, himself a leader of the Panchamasali Lingayat community, criticized the decision of previous BJP government to scrap the 4 per cent Muslim reservation and reallocate it equally between the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.
He alleged that the BJP government, under Basavaraj Bommai, had backtracked on its decision by assuring the Supreme Court it would not implement the reservation changes.
“For the sake of elections, they announced reservations, but later told the Supreme Court they wouldn’t go ahead with it,” Kashappanavar said.
BJP members objected, insisting that the discussion focus solely on the police action during Tuesday’s protests near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, where the Panchamasali Lingayat community demanded inclusion in the 2A category of the OBC reservation matrix (15%), as opposed to the current 3B category (5%).
The protests turned violent earlier this week, with stone pelting from demonstrators and subsequent lathi charges by police.
During the Assembly debate, Kashappanavar accused the BJP of misleading the community and the Panchamasali seer, alleging that the protest was “sponsored and instigated” by the party.
He also claimed RSS members were involved in the stone pelting, sparking a heated exchange between BJP and Congress MLAs.
The saffron party members demanded that references to the RSS be expunged from the record.
The situation escalated when Speaker Khader allowed Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to speak after Home Minister G. Parameshwara had already addressed the lathi charge issue. BJP MLAs argued that their voices should have been heard first.
Gowda criticized the saffron party, blaming its past policies for the "injustice" faced by the Panchamasali Lingayat community, citing the BJP's affidavit to the Supreme Court on reservation issues.
Angered by Gowda’s statement, BJP MLA Sunil Kumar raised a point of order, questioning why the Minister was permitted to speak.
The Speaker dismissed the objection, prompting BJP members to raise slogans and tear papers in protest.
Amid the chaos, Khader adjourned the House for lunch.
Following the adjournment, furious BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra, and MLAs C N Ashwath Narayan and Sunil Kumar, marched into the Speaker’s chamber and reportedly questioned Khader’s conduct and warned of a boycott.
“We have told the Speaker his conduct is unacceptable. If this continues, we will not attend the session,” Ashoka said.
The Assembly resumed after lunch following negotiations in the Speaker’s chamber.
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Delhi HC asks Jaideep Sengar to surrender in Unnao custodial death case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Jaideep Sengar, brother of Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Sengar, to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in the custodial death case of the survivor's father.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja was hearing a plea by the convict for further extension of interim bail upon suspension of the 10-year sentence.
It observed that the interim bail granted to Jaideep Sengar in July 2024 was last extended in April 2025 and since then, in spite of five dates, no order of any further extension or suspension of his sentence has been passed by the court.
As the senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar urged the bench to extend the period of his release on account of his health, the bench said, "You surrender and then we will see."
"Although there is no extension of interim suspension of sentence granted, we find he has still not surrendered. Before we proceed to consider his application for further extension of suspension of sentence, we require the appellant to first surrender," the bench ordered.
The senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar assured the court that he would surrender by Saturday.
The court listed the matter for hearing next week.
Jaideep Sengar, 50, sought the bail extension on the grounds that he is suffering from oral cancer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) counsel had earlier said it was not a fit case for extension of interim bail, and the prescription given by Jaideep Sengar in support of his plea was fabricated.
In his application, Jaideep Sengar said he was suffering from stage IV oral cancer, a life-threatening condition, and had developed clinical signs of recurrence.
The condition, the plea said, required continuous and specialised medical care.
The plea also informed that Jaideep Sengar has spent about four years in custody.
The high court had granted interim bail to Jaideep Sengar on July 3, 2024, for two months on medical grounds.
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life on December 20, 2019, for raping the minor in 2017.
On March 13, 2020, Kuldeep Sengar, along with Jaideep Sengar, was sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment by the trial court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the custodial death case of the rape survivor's father.
The survivor's father was arrested, allegedly at the behest of the accused, under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutality.
The trial court said no leniency could be shown for killing a family's sole breadwinner.
