CID files 2000-page chargesheet in Karnataka PSI Scam, names 34 accused
Kalaburagi: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigating the Karnataka PSI Scam on Wednesday submitted a 2000-page chargesheet to the Kalaburagi third JMFC Court.
The investigating team of the CID has arrested 34 people and has sent them to judicial custody after filing an FIR against them, the chargesheet added. The Chargesheet was submitted by the investigating officer of the case Dy.SP Prakash Rathod amidst heavy security arrangements.
Prime accused of the case Divya Hagaragi was booked by the CID on April 10 and an FIR was registered against her at the Chowk Police Station in the city.
Charges have been filed against Veeresh, Chetan Nandgaon, Praveenkumar, Arunkumar Halsultanpur (all candidates), Savitri, Suma, Siddamma, Archana Shivakumar and Sunanda alias Sunita (all teachers), Rajesh Hagaragi (president of Jnana Jyoti School), Hayyali Desai, Rudregowda and Sharanabasappa Boragi (police constables), Mahantesh Patil (kingpin), Rudra Gowda Patil (Congress leader), Mallikarjun Melakundi, NV Sunil Kumar and Honnamma alias Jyoti Patil (mediators), Divya Hagaragi (general secretary of Jnana Jyothi School), Suresh Kategaon (who provided shelter to Divya Hagaragi while she was absconding), Kalidas, Saddam Hussain and Manjunath Melakundi (assistant engineer at Irrigation Department), Sridhar, Kashinath (headmaster of Jnana Jyothi School), Anand, Mallikarjun and Vaijinath (both DySP rank officers), Shantibai and her husband Basya Naik, Mohammad Ayub, Aslam Mujawar and Vasantraj.
All the 34 accused have been charged with exam malpractices, including copying using Bluetooth devices. Of the 34 accused, 33 are still in judicial custody, while Suresh Kategaon was granted bail by the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court recently.
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K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
