Karnataka govt's plans to free Hindu temples from state control "a historical blunder": Congress
Bengaluru(PTI): The Congress Karnataka unit president D K Shivakumar on Thursday described the BJP government's plans to free Hindu temples from state control as a historic blunder and said that his party won't allow it.
He said the temples that are currently owned by the government were the state's wealth and its treasury.
"They are doing a historic blunder, how can Muzrai (department) or government temples be given to local people for administration? It is the wealth of the government, wealth of the treasury, crores of rupees are collected by these temples. What political stand are they (BJP govt) trying to take looking at some other states?" Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said it cannot be done in Karnataka and the Congress will not allow it.
"On January 4 we are having a meeting of all senior Congress leaders, during which we will discuss this and come out with our stand," he added.
The Karnataka government will bring in a law aimed at freeing Hindu temples from laws and rules that control them at present, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said while addressing the state BJP executive meeting at Hubballi on Wednesday.
"I want to tell this executive that our government will bring in a law to this effect before the budget session. We will free our temples from such laws and conditions. Other than regulation, there won't be anything else. We will ensure that they are managed independently," he had said.
This is seen as another major move by the Bommai government after it got the contentious "Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021", popularly known as the 'anti-conversion bill' passed in the legislative assembly, ahead of 2023 assembly elections.
The Bill, however, is yet to become a law as it is pending for tabling and passage in the Legislative Council.
A total of 34,563 temples in the state come under Muzrai (Hindu religious endowment) department that have been categorized as grade A, B and C, based on their revenue generation.
A total of 207 temples with annual revenue above Rs 25 lakh come under category A, 139 temples between Rs five lakh to Rs 25 lakh come under category B, and 34,217 temples with less than Rs 5 lakh annual revenue under category C.
It has been a long standing demand from several Hindu organisations including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that temples should be freed from government control and they be handed over to the Hindu society.
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Court allows 5-day police custody of Bibhav Kumar in Swati Maliwal assault case
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court allowed five-day custodial interrogation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case, sing the police remand was a "necessity" in the matter.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal was hearing the application of Delhi Police which was represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava. The police had sought seven day custody.
It is alleged that Kumar, who is Kejriwal's personal assistant, assaulted AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM's residence on May 13.
"Considering the submissions made on behalf of both the parties, I find there is a necessity of police custody remand in the present case. Accordingly, the application moved by the investigating officer (IO) is partly allowed and the accused is remanded to police custody for five days," the court said in its order passed around 12:45 AM Sunday.
It noted the prosecution's submissions about the need to take Kumar to Mumbai and other parts of the national capital to collect evidence, which was not possible without the accused's custody.
"Admittedly, the case is at a nascent stage. Allegations made in the FIR are corroborated in her (Maliwal's) statement recorded by the magistrate on oath and further, it is again corroborated in the medico-legal case (MLC) of the victim or complainant," the court said.
The magistrate also observed, "I am aware of the view of constitutional courts that the opportunity must be given to the investigating agency to complete the investigation in order to reach the truth of the matter but at the same time the rights of the accused are also to be protected."
Asking the Investigating Officer to take Kumar into formal custody, the court directed his medical examination every 24 hours and said the investigating agency would not subject the accused to "any torture."
It also allowed Kumar to meet his advocate and wife for half an hour each during the police custody.
Kumar's application for providing requisite medicines was also allowed.
The proceedings which commenced around 9: 15 PM Saturday saw initial arguments by Srivastava following which the magistrate said, "I find force in the arguments of the APP (Additional Public Prosecutor) that there were sufficient grounds to arrest the accused without notice."
The prosecutor made several arguments, including those mentioned in the remand application and also that the "means or weapon" by which Kumar assaulted Maliwal had to be recovered.
The vehement counter-arguments by Kumar's counsels continued for more than one-and-a-half hours. One of his counsels, Rajiv Mohan, claimed that Maliwal had lodged the FIR "belatedly after deliberation and concoction."
The Delhi Police arrested Kumar earlier on Saturday and his anticipatory bail plea was subsequently observed as becoming "infructuous" by a Delhi court.
