Bengaluru, Oct 23: Former Prime Minister H DDeve Gowda and ex-Chief Ministers H D Kumaraswamy andSiddaramaiah welcomed the Delhi HighCourt order on Wednesday granting bail to Congress leader D K Shivakumar in a money laundering case, filed by the Enforcement Directorate.
As the news about Shivakumar getting bail broke, his supporters and Congress workers celebrated by bursting crackers and distributing sweets in Ramanagara, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Kanakapura, Mandya and near his Bengaluru residence.
"Delhi High Court granting bail to D K Shivakumar has increased common man's trust in country's judicial system. I welcome the court's decision," Gowda tweeted.
Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA, was arrested by the EDon September 3 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"Getting bail from Delhi high court is happy news," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Bagalkote.
He alleged that Shivakumar was being politically targeted.
"...let them (ED) investigate, but sending to jail duringinvestigation is not right. On proving to be guilty one can besent to jail, but sending while the investigation is still onis not right. Vengeance politics is not right..," he added.
The 57-year-old Shivakumar is under judicial custody and presently lodged in Tihar jail.
Both the Congress and Shivakumar have claimed he was beingtargeted by the BJP-led government at the Centre by "misusing" investigating agencies.
"Delhi High Court granting bail to D K Shivakumar is a matter of happiness. On Monday I had met Shivakumar and tried to boost his courage, and expressed hope about him getting bail," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
The JD(S) leader who met Shivakumar at Tihar jail on Monday had said that the Congress leader was "bold" to fight "vengeance politics".
Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, both Vokkaliga strong men, have been bitter political opponents in the old Mysuru region,until they came together for the formation of Congress-JD(S) coalition government, after 2018 assembly polls.
Shivakumar was a key minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet and played a major rule in the stability of the coalition government until it collapsed in July, following resignation of several MLAs of the two parties, eventually leading to installation of the BJP government.
His arrest had lead to widespread protests, especially in Ramanagara, Bengaluru rural, Mandya and other parts of old Mysuru region.
It had even taken a caste colour with thousands of people belonging to the Vokkaliga community taking out a rally recently in Bengaluru protesting the arrest and expressing solidarity with him.
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Chandigarh (PTI): A group of 101 farmers will resume their foot march to Delhi at 12 noon on Sunday from the Shambhu border point to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Heavy deployment of police and paramilitary has been made at the Shambhu border, which falls in Punjab.
Farmer leader Tejveer Singh on Sunday said the 'jatha' (group) of farmers will march towards the national capital.
Protesting farmers had on Friday suspended their march to the national capital for the day after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells fired by security personnel, who stopped them at the Punjab-Haryana border.
The farmers have been pressing for various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP. They have also been pressing the Centre to initiate talks with them to address their issues.
Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday had said that they had not received any message from the Centre for talks to address their issues.
The Haryana Police has written to its Punjab counterpart asking it to ensure media personnel are stopped at a "safe distance" from the protest site for their safety as well as to ensure ease in maintaining law and order.
As part of a call given by the farmer unions Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, a 'jatha' of 101 farmers began its march to Delhi on Friday from their protest site at the Shambhu border to press for their demands.
The group was stopped by multi-layered barricading erected by Haryana security personnel. Undeterred by prohibitory orders, the farmers attempted to force their way through the barricades but were stopped by security personnel who lobbed multiple tear gas shells to force them to go back to their protest site at Shambhu.
The Haryana Police had asked the farmers not to proceed further and cited a prohibitory order clamped by the Ambala administration under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bans unlawful assembly of five or more people in the district.
Farmers had earlier said that they had appealed to the government to either hold a dialogue with the protesting farmers or "allow us to move to Delhi".
However, the Haryana Police had said protesting farmers created ruckus and also made their best efforts to demolish police barricades set up at the Haryana side of the border.
Ambala police had said the farmers' outfits should march to Delhi after taking permission from the Delhi administration.
Shortly before the farmers' march, the Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of the Ambala district till December 9.
The protesting farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.
Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding a farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers), and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.