Karnataka HC asks state govt not to decide on ward reservation till August 16
Bengaluru, Aug 10: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to put on hold the new ward reservation list for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (city corporation) elections till August 16.
A single judge bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar gave this direction after hearing a batch of petitions that claimed the reservation list was flawed and challenged it.
It is only an oral direction and not an interim order. The court will hear the petitions again on August 16 and consider the objections of the state government and Election Commission before deciding on an interim stay as prayed in the petitions.
Notices have been issued to the state and Election Commission.
The number of wards in BBMP has been increased from 198 to 243. There is 50 per cent reservation for women across all categories.
The reservation categories include 130 seats for General, 81 for OBC, 28 for Schedule Castes and four for Scheduled Tribes.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
