BJP MLC Ravi case to be heard by Bengaluru Court
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Special Court for Elected Representatives in Bengaluru will hear the case against BJP MLC C T Ravi, who was arrested for allegedly using a derogatory word against Karnataka Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.
He was earlier in the day presented before the City Fifth Additional Magistrate' Court in Belagavi.
"The investigating officer had requisitioned praying that the FIR has to be transferred to MP/MLA court at Bengaluru, taking into note of the same the honourable JMFC Belagavi passed the order directing the investigating officer to produce the accused before the jurisdictional magistrate at MP/MLA court in Bengaluru and directed to forward the FIR to the jurisdictional magistrate at Bengaluru," Raviraj Patil, advocate appearing in the case told reporters.
"Today itself forthwith the FIR has to be forwarded and the accused has to be produced before the court. This is the order of the court here," he added.
Meanwhile, the police are shifting Ravi to Bengaluru.
Before being taken to the Belagavi court, Ravi underwent a medical examination at a community health centre.
Ravi allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday during an altercation between them, when the House was adjourned for a while.
He was arrested on Thursday evening and taken into the police van from the premises of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
Based on the complaint lodged by Hebbalkar, a case was registered against the BJP leader under sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A large number of BJP supporters, including leaders such as party state president B Y Vijayendra, MLC N Ravi Kumar, and MLA Prabhu Chauhan, gathered at the court to show solidarity. Senior BJP leaders, including R Ashok and MLA Sunil Kumar, also were present at the court in support of Ravi.
Ravi recounted his ordeal, claiming the police had taken him on an unnecessary journey across Dharwad, Belagavi, and Bagalkot districts before conducting a medical checkup in the morning.
Speaking to reporters before entering the court, Ravi maintained his innocence, calling the charges baseless. "This is a politically motivated case. The police tortured me by keeping me in transit all night without food. I will bring these details to the judge's attention," he said.
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India joins US-led strategic alliance 'Pax Silica'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday joined a US-led strategic alliance -- 'Pax Silica' -- that is aimed at building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
India signed a pact joining the coalition at a ceremony at the AI Impact Summit here.
The signing ceremony was attended by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and US envoy to India Sergio Gor among others.
Gor said Pax Silica is a coalition of capabilities.
"Pax Silica is a declaration that future belongs to those who build and when free people join forces," US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said.
The move comes amid efforts by the two sides to finalise the proposed trade deal and move forward on several other initiatives to solidify bilateral ties after a spell of severe strain in relations.
The Pax Silica initiative was launched in December last year to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington on December 12 last year where partner nations signed the Pax Silica declaration.
The declaration lays out a shared vision of deep economic and technology cooperation across supply chains -- from raw materials through semiconductors and AI infrastructure -- and commitment to mutual prosperity and security.
The member nations of the Pax Silica included Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Gor last month announced an invitation to New Delhi to join the strategic alliance. One of the key pillars of Pax Silica was to establish a durable economic order to drive AI-powered prosperity across partner nations.
"We recognise that a reliable supply chain is indispensable to our mutual economic security," according to the Pax Silica declaration.
"We also recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force for our long-term prosperity and that trustworthy systems are essential to safeguarding our mutual security and prosperity," it said.
"We believe that economic value and growth will flow through and across all levels of the global AI supply chain, driving historic opportunity and demand for energy, critical minerals, manufacturing, technological hardware, infrastructure, and new markets not yet invented," it said.
