Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah vows to get caste-wise census report commissioned during his first stint
Bengaluru, Jul 2: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday vowed to get the caste-wise census report which he had commissioned during his first stint as CM from 2013-18.
He said the caste-based census was a must to bring those communities in the mainstream of the society who were subjected to injustice due to casteism.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy during whose tenure (May 2018-July 2019) the caste-based census report was ready, scuttled its tabling by threatening the then Backward Classes Welfare Minister C Puttaranga Shetty.
Speaking after performing the ground-breaking ceremony of Sri Kaginele Mahasansthan Kanaka Gurupeeth, here today, Siddaramaiah said the Kuruba (shepherds) community, which he belonged to, constitute about seven per cent of the total population of the state.
"We are seven per cent in the total population (in the state), which means that out of seven crore population, we are 49 lakh. That's why to find out the caste-wise population I had assigned the then chairperson of the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission H Kantharaj," Siddaramaiah said.
ALSO READ: JD(S) won't participate in BJP's opposition parties' meeting: H D Kumaraswamy
According to the Chief Minister, the main purpose behind commissioning the caste-wise census was to find out where people stand socially and economically.
He added that the caste-wise census did not happen even after the independence of the country.
Siddaramaiah said during his previous stint, he had even allocated Rs 162 crore for caste-wise census.
He dismissed the allegation that it was ready during his previous tenure.
"If it was ready, I would have received it definitely. I wouldn't have bothered about anything," Siddaramaiah said.
He could not receive the report because it was not signed by the member secretary of the commission. By the time he could receive the report, Congress lost power in the state in 2018.
"In the coalition government led by Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Puttaranga Shetty became the Backward Classes Minister. The report was ready by then.
"I told Puttaranga Shetty to get the backward classes commission report. So, he fixed a date to receive the report. Kumaraswamy directed Shetty not to receive the report. The then Minister Bandeppa (Kashempur) threatened him. So Shetty did not receive it. The report is still lying as it is," the Chief Minister claimed.
Siddaramaiah vowed to get the report saying that it will help giving preferential treatment to those communities which remained backward socially, economically and politically.
However, according to him, there is a glitch because the member secretary did not sign the document. In this regard, he said he would speak to the current chairperson of the commission K Jayaprakash Hegde.
"We will certainly receive it. It has to be signed first. There is some technical problem. We will take it definitely because we have to give preferential treatment accordingly," Siddaramaiah said.
He said, "It is necessary for tabling the budget to know the population of each caste and also their socio-economic and political status. Then only we can give them preferential treatment. Otherwise, it cannot be given. For this reason we have to receive the report."
Stating that he had commissioned the caste-wise census during his first stint as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said he now got another opportunity to head the state and will get the report tabled.
The Chief Minister also promised to implement the five guarantees announced during the election irrespective of the difficulties his government may face.
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.
President Murmu rejects mercy plea of man convicted for rape, murder of 2-year-old in Maharashtra
New Delhi (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu has rejected the mercy petition of a man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a two-year-old girl in Maharashtra in 2012, officials said on Sunday.
This is the third mercy plea rejected by the President after assuming office on July 25, 2022.
The Supreme Court on October 3, 2019, affirmed the death sentence awarded to Ravi Ashok Ghumare, saying he had no control over his "carnal desires" and surpassed all natural, social and legal limits just to satiate his sexual hunger.
In its verdict, a three-judge bench comprising Justice Surya Kant (now chief justice of India), by a majority verdict of 2:1, said the man had "ruthlessly finished" a life which was yet to bloom and his act of committing unnatural offence with the two-year-old exhibits "a dirty and perverted mind, showcasing a horrifying tale of brutality".
Ghumare's mercy plea was rejected by the President on November 6, 2025, according to the status of the mercy petition disclosed by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ALSO READ: India could get new PM soon, claims Prithviraj Chavan; says comments linked to Epstein files release
"Having said that, it may be seen that the victim was barely a two-year-old baby whom the appellant (Ravi) kidnapped and apparently kept on assaulting for over four to five hours till she breathed her last.
"The appellant, who had no control over his carnal desires, surpassed all natural, social and legal limits just to satiate his sexual hunger. He ruthlessly finished a life which was yet to bloom," Justice Surya Kant had said, while writing the verdict for himself and (now retired) Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman.
The appellant, instead of showing fatherly love, affection and protection to the child against the evils of society, made her the victim of lust, the majority verdict said.
"It’s a case where trust has been betrayed, and social values are impaired. The unnatural sex with a two-year-old toddler exhibits a dirty and perverted mind, showcasing a horrifying tale of brutality," the verdict said.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 6, 2012, in Indiranagar locality of Maharashtra's Jalna city. Ghumare had lured the victim with a chocolate.
The trial court had convicted him and awarded the death penalty on September 16, 2015. His death sentence was upheld by the Bombay High Court in January 2016.
