Bengaluru, November 15: Senior journalist Ravi Belagere moved the Karnataka High Court seeking dismissal of cases on giving contract to kill another journalist and illegal possession of weapons.

Earlier, Ravi Belagere was arrested in this case. Later, he came out of the prison on bail. Now, he has filed an application before the High Court seeking dismissal of all cases pending against him in this incident.

What’s there in application?

The charge sheet was submitted to the Sessions Court and it has to taken up for the hearing. The case is full of illegal and inappropriate aspects and it is lacking evidences. So, citing these reasons, the case should be dismissed, he appealed in the application.

He has submitted the application to the HC on Thursday and the HC may take up the case either on Friday or Monday.

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New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene after Saudi Arabia abruptly cancelled approximately 52,000 Hajj seats allocated to private tour operators. The move has triggered widespread anxiety among Indian Muslim pilgrims preparing for the upcoming pilgrimage.

In his letter, Stalin expressed deep concern over the “sudden reduction” in India’s Hajj quota for private operators, describing the development as a matter of urgent concern. He emphasized that many pilgrims, including those from Tamil Nadu, had already made full payments and were left in distress due to the uncertainty caused by the cancellation.

"I request that the matter may be taken up with the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia urgently and seek an expeditious remedy,” Stalin wrote, expressing hope that PM Modi’s intervention would help restore the cancelled quota and provide reassurance to affected families.

India had signed a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia in January 2025, finalising a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for Hajj 2025. This was split in a 70:30 ratio between State Hajj Committees and private operators—allocating 1,22,517 seats to the former and 52,507 to the latter.

However, Saudi Arabia has now reduced the private Hajj quota by nearly 80 per cent, affecting close to 52,000 Indian pilgrims. The decision reportedly stems from revised policies and stricter timelines for private tour operators, which several failed to meet despite repeated reminders.

In a partial relief, the Saudi government has agreed to India's request to reopen the Hajj Portal for Combined Hajj Group Operators (CHGOs), allowing an additional 10,000 pilgrims to register under the private category.