HC not happy with Karnataka govt report on goshalas
Bengaluru, Mar 28: The Karnataka High Court on Monday said it was not satisfied with the compliance affidavit filed before it by the state government regarding the establishment of 'goshalas' (cattle sheds) for taking care of stray cattle across Karnataka.
The court directed the Karnataka government to take necessary steps to establish the goshalas in the identified lands and a file a status report in the next hearing in June.
"We are not satisfied with the details given either in the compliance affidavit or in the documents with regards to the steps taken by the state government to establish Goshalas.
"Under these circumstances, we direct the state government to take appropriate steps to establish Goshalas in the lands identified in the documents produced in Annexure R2 in the compliance affidavit dated March 25, 2022 and file a status report in this regard in the next date of hearing," the division bench of Chief Justice Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S R Krishna Kumar said in their order.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the High Court Legal Services Committee which had sought direction to the state government to establish a goshala in every district under Section 19 of the Karnataka Livestock Prevention and Protection Act.
The HC had issued directions to the state in this regard during the hearing of the petition earlier. The compliance affidavit of the government which was taken note of on Monday did not satisfy the court.
"Pursuant to the orders, the state government has filed a compliance affidavit along with documents. Learned AG submits that lands have been identified for the purpose of establishing Goshalas in each district of Karnataka and money has been allocated in this regard," the HC said.
The court, however, pointed out that no material was placed to show whether any goshala has been established in any of the districts as stated in the documents.
The case was ordered to be listed again in the first week of June.
The court found the government's affidavit lacking in details.
"You have identified the land and you have allocated the money, that's all. In actual, neither any Goshalas is established, nor any efforts are being made to establish the Goshalas. You have to file a status report as to how many Goshalas have been established on these identified lands," the court said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
PM must clarify whether he endorses Sarma's 'utterly shameful' remarks on Kharge: Priyanka
_vb_97.jpeg)
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the use of "abusive" language by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is "utterly shameful" and added Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he endorses this "insult".
Sarma had triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Kharge, saying that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The kind of abusive and derogatory language used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, is utterly shameful and unacceptable."
She said Kharge is one of the most senior leaders in the country and serves as an enlightened representative not only of the Congress party but also of the Dalits and the marginalised sections of the nation.
"By insulting him, the BJP chief minister has insulted crores of people across the country," she said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify to the nation: does he endorse this insult directed at crores of Indians?" she said.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Sarma of insulting party chief Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct" that it alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday had said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Sarma was an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," Gandhi said.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the prime minister, he asked, "Do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
