BRS has no plans to contest Karnataka Assembly polls: Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, has no intention to contest Assembly polls in Karnataka, but is thinking about fielding candidates in a couple of constituencies in border areas for the next Lok Sabha polls.
The former Chief Minister said the BRS may support JD(S) in "15-20 Telugu- speaking" Assembly constituencies in the State bordering Telangana, where they may have influence.
"They (BRS) will not contest the Assembly polls, by going with them, we want to join hands in their fight aimed at finding a permanent solution to issues faced by farmers, dalits and other weaker sections. Rather than building an alternative force against the party in power at the Centre (BJP) it is to find solutions to the issues faced by the nation," Kumaraswamy said.
"I like his (Rao) thinking and so both of us together in the days to come will work for the downtrodden sections...we will work together on an issue-based partnership," he told reporters here.
Seeking to expand its electoral footprint beyond Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday changed its name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), in the presence of Kumaraswamy, with Chief Minister Rao eyeing a national role ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Kumaraswamy said Telangana Chief Minister has further agreed to support JD(S) and its candidates in the Telugu-speaking areas in Karnataka where his party has influence.
"In about 15-20 constituencies, they may influence, in my opinion, in Telugu- speaking belts in the districts of Kolar, (and) Hyderabad Karnataka region," he said.
Reiterating that BRS has no intention to contest the Assembly polls in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy, in response to a question, said but for Lok Sabha polls, they have plans to field candidates in a couple of constituencies in the border areas with Telangana.
"They have plans to field candidates in about 100-150 constituencies (LS across the country)...but all that will be based on the national picture that emerges in the days to come," he said.
Ruling out any intention to go to national politics, Kumaraswamy said his strength and fight is in Karnataka, but the 2023 Assembly poll results here may set a stage for bringing in certain changes in the national politics.
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Cash discovery row: Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma resigns
New Delhi (PTI): Embattled Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who was facing heat after wads of burnt currency notes were recovered from his residence here last year, has submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, rendering the impeachment proceedings against him as infructuous.
The purported discovery of a huge stash of cash took place after a fire broke out at Lutyens' Delhi residence of Justice Varma, then a Delhi High Court judge, at around 11:35 pm on the night of Holi on March 14, 2025, prompting the fire department personnel to rush to the spot and douse the flames.
In a letter sent to the President on April 9, the 57-year-old Justice Varma said he was tendering his resignation with "deep anguish" and it was an honour to serve the office.
"Your Excellency, While I do not propose to burden your august office with the reasons which have constrained me to submit this missive, it is with deep anguish that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Judge of the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect. It has been an honour to serve in this office," the resignation letter sent to the President on April 9 said.
The pending impeachment proceedings, intended to remove Varma from his office, becomes infructuous due to his resignation.
Consequently, a three-member inquiry committee comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior advocate B V Acharya was conducting an inquiry, a condition precedent, before an impeachment motion.
Justice Varma's case saw many twists and turns after he refused to heed to the advice of then CJI Sanjiv Khanna to resign following two damning reports of judges.
Left with no option, Justice Khanna wrote to the President to proceed further to impeach Justice Varma.
He was later repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High.
The top court on January 16 had dismissed Varma's plea challenging the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to admit an impeachment motion and the validity of a panel set up to inquire corruption charges against him, saying a provision in law cannot be used as a weapon to scuttle parliamentary proceedings.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a multi-party motion for Justice Varma's removal on August 12 last year.
In an unprecedented move, the apex court on March 22 last year had uploaded on its website an in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, into alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at the residence of Justice Varma.
On March 22, 2025 then CJI Khanna had constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry.
Justice Varma had "unequivocally" stated that no cash was ever placed in the storeroom "either by me or any of my family members and (I) strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us".
Justice Varma was enrolled as an advocate on August 8, 1992. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014. High Court judges retire at the age of 62.
He took oath as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 1, 2016, before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.
A judge of a constitutional court can only be removed from office through an impeachment motion passed by Parliament.
