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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Patna, Dec 6: Police used mild lathicharge on Friday to disperse a large group of protesting aspirants near the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) office in Patna, who were demanding withdrawal of "changes" to the rules for the 70th BPSC Preliminary Examination scheduled for December 13. The BPSC, however, denied any changes to the examination process.

According to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra, a large number of aspirants gathered near the BPSC office on Bailey Road around noon, attempting to march towards the office.

"When police and administration officials prevented them from proceeding, the protesters sat on the road, disrupting traffic. Despite repeated requests to vacate the area, they refused to leave. Since it is a restricted area and protests are not allowed there, a mild lathi-charge was used to disperse them," Mishra said.

While eyewitnesses alleged that two or three aspirants were injured during the lathi-charge, the SSP denied these claims, stating, "No protesters sustained any injury. Mild force was used to disperse those who tried to break the police barricade. We are registering an FIR against the protesters, and all CCTV footage is being analysed for further action."

The protesters were demanding that the BPSC preliminary examination be conducted in a "one shift, one paper" format, rather than using the 'normalisation of marks' process. Normalisation equalises scores from exams held in multiple shifts using a statistical formula.

Meanwhile, Patna-based tutor and YouTuber Khan Sir expressed support for the protesters. He joined the demonstration near Gardani Bagh, a designated area for protests, and sat on dharna with the aspirants.

Khan Sir demanded that the BPSC chairman issue a statement ruling out the use of the 'normalisation process' for the examination and extend the examination date, as many aspirants faced technical issues while applying. "As long as the chairman does not issue a clarification, our dharna will continue," Khan Sir told reporters.

Reacting to allegations that Khan Sir was detained by police, the SSP told reporters that he willingly went to Gardani Bagh police station to reiterate that the agitation will continue. "Students have been on a dharna since morning and the government must look into their demands," he said.

Khan Sir, widely known for his online coaching for competitive exams, has a significant following among students.

The 70th BPSC Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination, scheduled for December 13, will recruit candidates for Group A and B posts. Around five lakh candidates are expected to appear for the exam, which will be conducted across 925 centres.

This protest follows earlier demands by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who called for clarification on the 'normalisation process' and urged the BPSC to revert to the previous exam format.

"The BPSC should conduct exams as they were previously done, without the normalisation process. The Commission should also extend the examination date," Yadav said in a statement.