Kalaburagi: BJP leader Manikanth Rathod held by Chittapur cops; released on Police Station Bail
Kalaburagi: BJP leader Manikanth Rathod was arrested by Chittapur police on Friday night in a case of violation of the Moral Code of Conduct during the election, but was released on Police Station Bail in a few hours.
Rathod has been accused of illegal activities, including pilfering rice, issuing death threat, abduction, attempt to murder and assault, and cases against him have been registered at three police stations in Vijayapura, Yadgir and Kalaburagi districts. He has also been charged with violation of the election code of conduct during the Assembly elections in Karnataka.
An audio clip of Rathod issuing a death threat to the family members of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had gone viral during the recent Assembly elections. The BJP leader had contested the Assembly elections against Priyank Kharge from Chittapur. The Chittapur Police officers had arrested Rathod while investigating the case.
Kalaburagi City Police Commissioner Dr. YS Ravikumar had issued an order deporting the BJP leader to Shivamogga for a year, starting October 2022, but the Karnataka High Court had stayed the order following an appeal by Rathod.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
