HC dismisses PIL seeking Governor’s nod for prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah in Mining case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought directions to the Governor to grant sanction for prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act in connection with alleged illegal grant and renewal of mining leases.
The petition had been filed by Bengaluru-based businessman M.P. Venugopal and came up before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B. Varale (Correction: please confirm, original says Vibhu Bakhru) and Justice C.M. Joshi on Thursday.
When the case was called twice, the petitioner’s counsel failed to appear before the bench. Taking note of this and citing non-compliance with legal procedure, the court dismissed the petition.
The PIL had demanded that the Governor be directed to approve prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under the PC Act. It further sought a direction for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an independent probe into the alleged illegal renewal of mining leases, and for the Lokayukta to submit a report on the matter.
The petitioner had also asked the court to cancel mining leases granted to Ramgad Minerals and Mining Pvt. Ltd. and Veerabhadrappa Sangappa & Co., declaring all such leases illegal. Additionally, it called for recovery of alleged financial losses from those who benefitted from illegal mining contracts.
Apart from Siddaramaiah, the petition had also named former Secretary of the Commerce and Industries Department Tushar Girinath, along with several private mining companies, as respondents.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
