Haveri contractors seek mercy killing over unpaid dues by Karnataka government
Haveri: The contractors in Haveri district have reportedly threatened to seek mercy killing if the Karnataka government fails to clear their long-pending dues totaling Rs 738 crore by the end of April.
The contractors alleged that years of unpaid bills, coupled with rampant corruption and mounting debt, have pushed them to the brink of desperation. “The contractors in the district would be forced to seek mercy killing if the government failed to clear the pending dues by April-end,” Mallikarjun Haveri, taluk president of Haveri district contractors’ association, was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
The association claimed that commissions ranging from 10 percent to 15 percent commission for the works in the district are being demanded by officials and middlemen in several departments, including the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR).
“The contractors borrow money at high interests to execute the works. We paid a commission hoping that they would clear our dues. The middlemen are sucking contractors’ blood,” Mallikarjun alleged.
“In Haveri district, bills amounting to Rs 200 crore is pending with the Public Works Department, RDPR has to clear Rs 138 crore in dues to contractors and Rs 400 crore is pending for the works announced during the previous BJP government,” he added.
Meanwhile, the contractors had staged a protest demanding payment of their long-pending dues during the winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi. In response, the Public Works Minister had then assured them that the bills would be cleared in phases by the end of March. However, the RDPR, KNNL, and the Minor Irrigation Department have yet to release payments amounting to several crores.
“Now, the contractors are urging the government to either settle their dues or permit them to opt for euthanasia,” the contractors’ association office-bearer said.
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SC notice to Centre on PIL against Muslim personal law sections being 'discriminatory' against women
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Centre's response on a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, on the ground that those are allegedly discriminatory against women.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Panchol took note of the submissions made by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who appeared in the matter for petitioners Poulomi Pavini Shukla and the Nyaya Naari Foundation, and issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The plea says the current Shariat inheritance rules are "manifestly discriminatory" against women, often granting them only half or less of the share allocated to their male counterparts.
Bhushan said the 1937 Act violates Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.
He said matters of succession are civil in nature and do not constitute an "essential religious practice" protected under Article 25.
"Saying women will get half or even less than half compared to male counterparts is discriminatory," the lawyer said.
