CM Bommai appeals for peace as he condoles death of Puneeth Rajkumar
Bengaluru, Oct 29: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday appealed for peace as he condoled the death of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, and said the government will be making all the necessary arrangements for public to pay last respects to their "favourite star".
"My appeal to the people of Karnataka is when we lose such a great actor, it is natural that it will cause pain, but we should not become emotional and lose patience. We should maintain peace. By giving him (Puneeth) a peaceful send off, we will have to pay rightful respect to him," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he requested cooperation from everyone in maintaining peace and to see to it that no untoward incidents take place.
".. We will be making all arrangements at the Kanteerava Stadium for the public to pay last respects for the entire day tomorrow. So people should pay their last respects peacefully. I request his fans with folded hands to maintain peace," he said, adding that Puneeth Rajkumar will be accorded government honour and the government will go by the family's decision on final rites and the place for it.
Puneeth Rajkumar passed away after a heart attack, earlier today. He was 46 and is survived by wife Ashwini Revanth and daughters Drithi and Vanditha.
The CM's request for peace comes in the backdrop of the violence that took place in the city, following the death of Puneeth's father and Kannada thespian Rajkumar in 2006.
Noting that Puneeth Rajkumar had complained of tiredness after his morning activities, Bommai said, "his family doctor was consulted who had referred him to Vikram Hospital as the heart condition was critical, and despite all attempts by the Doctors to revive him at the hospital we could not save him."
"In Puneeth Rajkumar Karnataka has lost a great actor who has made great achievements at a very young age. His whole family is in deep sorrow, the entire people of Karnataka are sad," he said.
Calling Puneeth Rajkumar, a "youth icon", the Chief Minister said, it's "ironic "that the actor had spoken to him over phone on Thursday and an appointment was fixed for meeting today, regarding inauguration of his website on November 1.
"I had asked him to come today (for the meeting).. but fate has taken him elsewhere. I could not meet him. It is really shocking. Great loss to the cultural world. The cinema world has not only lost a leading actor, but a person with leadership qualities. His personality and conduct was humble like his father Dr Rajkumar and was a role model for others," he said, as he recalled his long association with the Rajkumar family.
Recollecting the time he spent with Puneeth Rajkumar and family, recently, Bommai said he had seen 'Appu' (as Puneeth Rajkumar is popularly known) as a kid to what he has grown up to today.
"He had a great future, but fate has played its game, it is cruel. His death has caused irreparable loss and pain. The family is completely shattered."
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AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan moves SC against Waqf Bill
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
In his plea, Khan sought that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill be declared as "unconstitutional and being violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 300-A of the Constitution" and sought direction for striking it down.
"The Bill violates fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution. It curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims, enables arbitrary executive interference, and undermines minority rights to manage their religious and charitable institutions," Khan's plea said.
On Friday, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi moved the apex court, challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, saying it violated the constitutional provisions.
Jawed's plea alleged the Bill imposed "arbitrary restrictions" on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community.
The petition, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, said the proposed law discriminated against the Muslim community by "imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious endowments".
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early April 3 with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Jawed, a Lok Sabha MP from Kishanganj in Bihar, was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Bill and has alleged in his plea that the Bill "introduces restrictions on the creation of Waqfs based on the duration of one's religious practice".
"Such a limitation is unfounded in Islamic law, custom or precedent and infringes upon the fundamental right to profess and practice religion under Article 25," it said.
In his separate plea, Owaisi said the Bill takes away from Waqfs various protections which were accorded to Waqfs and Hindu, Jain, and Sikh religious and charitable endowments alike.
Owaisi's plea, filed by advocate Lzafeer Ahmad, said, "This diminishing of the protection given to Waqfs while retaining them for religious and charitable endowments of other religions constitutes hostile discrimination against Muslims and is violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion."
The plea argued the amendments "irreversibly dilute" the statutory protections afforded to Waqfs and their regulatory framework while giving "undue advantage" to other stakeholders and interest groups, undermining years of progress and pushing back Waqf management by several decades.
"Appointing non-Muslims on the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards disturbs this delicate constitutional balance and tilts it to the detriment of the right of Muslims as a religious group to remain in control of their Waqf properties," Owaisi said.
