High Court rebukes MLA Harish Poonja for protest outside police station
asks him to refrain from acting like court
Bengaluru: Belthangadi MLA Harish Poonja faced severe criticism from the State High Court for staging a protest outside a police station, demanding the release of an individual arrested for illegal mining and stockpiling explosives.
A bench led by Justice Krishna Dixit, presiding over the petitions filed by MLA Harish Poonja contesting two FIRs against the police, expressed deep disapproval of the MLA's actions. The court questioned the appropriateness of an elected representative engaging in such protests, observing that individuals detained by the police have legal remedy through the local magistrate's court or habeas corpus petitions.
Justice Dixit further observed the importance of legislators focusing on lawmaking rather than interfering with police duties, urging MLA Poonja to refrain from acting like a court. The bench emphasized the need to protect law enforcement agencies and warned against any disruptions to their functioning.
The court also observed that while conflicts with the police may arise, it is crucial to uphold the rule of law and ensure due process for those arrested. Following arguments, the bench issued a notice to the government and instructed MLA Poonja to refrain from causing further disturbances until further notice, adjourning the hearing.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
