DRI imposes Rs 102 cr penalty on Kannada actress Ranya Rao in gold smuggling case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has imposed a fine of Rs 102 crore on Kannada film actress Ranya Rao in a gold smuggling case, the DRI sources said on Tuesday.
Along with her, the DRI imposed a penalty of Rs 63 crore on hotelier Tarun Kondaraju and Rs 56 crore each on jewellers Sahil Sakaria Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain.
On Tuesday, the DRI officials reached the Bengaluru Central Jail and served each of them a 250-page notice along with 2,500-page annexure.
"It was a herculean exercise to prepare a detailed notice along with supporting documents. Today we served 11,000 pages of documents to the accused," a DRI source told PTI.
According to sources in the DRI, the actress was caught with 14.8 kg gold on March 3 at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on her arrival from Dubai.
Rao is the step-daughter of Director General of Police rank officer K Ramachandra Rao.
The actress was sentenced to one year of imprisonment under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), in the gold smuggling case in July this year.
The COFEPOSA-related matter came up before the High Court on Tuesday, which posted it on September 11, DRI sources said.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
