Karnataka DGP Ramachandra Rao suspended after obscene video goes viral
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has placed DGP (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao under suspension with immediate effect, citing conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration.
News channels beamed video on Monday purportedly showing Rao in compromising position with women.
The video went viral in the social media as well. Rao sought to reject the videos outright terming them "fabricated and false".
In an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) on Monday, the government said videos and news reports widely circulated on television channels and digital media platforms showed the senior IPS officer acting in an "obscene manner", prompting the decision to initiate disciplinary action.
"Vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government," the government order said.
The order further said the matter was examined by the state government, which found that the officer's conduct amounted to violation of Rule-3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.
The government said it is prima facie satisfied that "it is necessary to place Rao under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry".
During the suspension period, Rao will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per Rule-4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. The order also places restrictions on his movement, stating that during the period of suspension, the officer should not leave headquarters under any circumstances without the written permission of the State Government.
Rao is the step father of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, who is accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai to India along with two others -- businessman Tarun Raju, and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain.
Ranya was apprehended at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on March 3, 2025 with 14.8 kilograms of gold allegedly smuggled from Dubai.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Ranya had made 45 solo trips to Dubai between 2023 and 2025, raising suspicions on her involvement in a broader smuggling network.
Ranya is presently in the judicial custody at the Bengaluru Central Jail.
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'Governor must stop misusing' constitutional office: Cong MP on Ravi for skipping Assembly address
New Delhi (PTI): With Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi walking out of the Assembly without delivering his customary address to the House, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday said the state will not accept the erosion of its democratic institutions and the governor must stop "misusing" a constitutional office.
Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi walked out of the state Assembly without delivering his customary address to the House in its maiden session of the year, alleging, among others, "inaccuracies" in the DMK government's prepared text.
Chief Minister M K Stalin slammed the governor for "walking out in violation of tradition and ethos," and later piloted a resolution saying the English version of the address was assumed to have been read.
Reacting to the development, Congress MP Tagore said, "Why does Governor Ravi repeatedly refuse to follow the Constitution of India? Once again, he has acted in a manner that undermines and insults the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly -- a democratically elected body of the people."
The Constitution is clear that the governor is a constitutional head, not a parallel authority, he said in a social media post in Tamil.
"He (the governor) must act on the aid and advice of the elected state government (Article 163). Reading out personal opinions, selectively altering the Assembly address, or withholding assent indefinitely is not constitutional discretion - it is constitutional defiance," Tagore said.
Noting that the Tamil Nadu Assembly represents millions of people, the Congress leader said, "disrespecting the House is not disrespecting a party - it is disrespecting democracy and federalism".
"Supreme Court judgments (SR Bommai, Nabam Rebia) are clear: Governors must act with neutrality, restraint, and constitutional morality - not as political agents of the Centre," he said.
Tamil Nadu will not accept the erosion of its democratic institutions, Tagore asserted.
"The governor must either uphold the Constitution or stop misusing a constitutional office to create confrontation," he said.
