COVID-19 test mandatory for attending Karnataka assembly session from Sept 21: Speaker
Bengaluru: Undergoing RT-PCR test for COVID-19 infection 72 hours prior to the start of the monsoon session from September 21 is mandatory for all those attending it, Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said on Tuesday.
Only if a person tests negative in the test and on the basis of the certificate issued would he or she be allowed to attend the session or cover it, the Speaker was quoted as saying by the state information department in a release.
The Monsoon session of the legislature will be held from September 21 to 30 at the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature here.
Keeping the health of everyone in mind, several precautionary measures have been taken in the wake of the pandemic, Kageri said, adding that the public would not be allowed to watch the proceedings this time.
Those who have already undergone COVID test and also those who have recovered should once again undergo the test after September 18 and only if it is confirmed negative would they be allowed to enter the assembly, he said, adding there would be no concession on this.
"Undergoing the test on September 18 and producing COVID negative certificate is mandatory, even for legislature staff, officials and media personnel too, and only then they will be allowed to enter their designated place in the assembly," the release clarified.
The assembly premises and surrounding areas would be sanitised and cleaned regularly, and all those attending will be let in only after their body temperature is checked, the Speaker said.
"For the benefit of everyone, it is our duty to follow all precautionary measures and no one should unnecessarily try to find fault in it or think otherwise," he said
All the members attending the assembly would be provided with sanitisers, masks and face shields, Kageri said.
During this session- 10 bills for tabling, 19 ordinances for consideration and two bills for passage- have been mentioned in the session agenda, and opportunity will be there to discuss on about 31 subjects, the Speaker said.
The Press gallery has been shifted to the visitors gallery and all necessary arrangements for media personnel would be made there, he said, as he sought cooperation from everyone.
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Defamation case: Application filed in court for voice sample of Rahul Gandhi
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): An application for obtaining a voice sample of Rahul Gandhi was filed in an MP-MLA court here on Saturday during a hearing in a defamation case against the Congress leader over his alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018.
The plaintiff Vijay Mishra's advocate, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said he filed the application requesting that a voice sample of Gandhi be collected and sent to a forensic science laboratory for comparison with a CD that has already been submitted to the court.
Rahul Gandhi's lawyers registered their objections to this demand. The next hearing in the matter is fixed for April 6, Pandey said.
On February 20, Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta.
He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
In December 2023, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
The hearing was deferred on Friday due to a holiday on Ram Navami.
Pandey said that during the previous hearing, the complainant's side had filed an application seeking verification of audio and video evidence of the alleged statements made by Gandhi by matching them with his original voice.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign. Following the remarks, Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
