Karnataka CM turns farmer, sows paddy seedlings for bumper crop
Bengaluru, Aug 11: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday turned into a farmer to sow seeds for a bumper paddy crop at a farm at Aralakuppe village in Mandya district, about 100 km from here.
"I have joined my farmer brothers and sisters in sowing paddy seedlings hoping for a good crop," the Chief Minister said on the occasion.
Clad in a "dhoti" like a traditional farmer, Kumaraswamy got into a wet field and sowed the seedlings along with at least 100 other men and women farmers.
Claiming to hail from a farmer's' family, the Chief Minister assured the farmers his support and asked them not to commit suicide over failed crops.
"The Chief Minister joined the farmers in the sowing activity to give farmers hope and confidence," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office added.
The farm loans of over 20 lakh farmers will be waived off by the state soon, he told the farming community, amid chants by farmers and supporters calling him "Kumar anna" (Kumar brother), as he is dearly addressed in rural Karnataka.
The state cabinet has recently agreed to waive off additional crop loans to the tune of Rs 9,448-crore, apart from the Rs 34,000-crore worth loans from state co-operative banks that Kumaraswamy had announced to waive during his budget speech on July 5.
After the sowing activity, Kumaraswamy also had lunch with the farmers at the field.
As part of the old Mysuru region, Mandya, facing a rainfall deficit, still hopes to receive rains for a good agricultural output.
Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state President B.S. Yeddyurappa dubbed the Chief Minister's act a "stunt" and said the state has failed to waive crop loans so far and has not responded to farmers' issues.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
