Karnataka HC grants govt 10 weeks to redo delimitation and reservation of zilla and taluk panchayats
Bengaluru, June 28: The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday granted the state government 10 weeks to redo the delimitation and reservation process for the zilla panchayat and taluk panchayats.
The Advocate General on Wednesday mentioned the petition pending before the division bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale, and sought 10 weeks' time from the day to redo the delimitation and reservation lists and issue the notifications.
The high court recorded the submission made by the AG as an undertaking given to the court. It directed the State to furnish the necessary notifications of delimitation and reservation for zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats in 10 weeks and file a compliance report.
It also directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to take necessary steps thereafter. The hearing of the petition was directed to be listed after 11 weeks.
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The SEC had prepared for the ZP-TP polls in Karnataka in April and May of 2021. It had completed the delimitation exercise on constituencies and the final list of voters was also published, following which the reservation draft was also announced by the SEC.
However, before the SEC could announce the election schedule, the then BJP government ruling the state amended the Karnataka Panchayat Raj and Gram Swaraj Act, withdrawing the powers of the Commission to redraw the constituencies and prepare the reservation list. A new delimitation panel was created by the State to conduct the exercise.
The elections for ZP-TPs are pending ever since, following the SEC's challenge to the government's amendment before the high court.
The HC had in December 2022 imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the government for its delaying tactics.
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They were like my brothers: Survivor recalls how local Muslims helped her to safety after J&K attack
Srinagar: One of the survivors of the horrific attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, a resident of Karnataka, shared that local Muslim men helped her and her child reach a safer location, describing them as her “brothers” for their support and compassion.
Pallavi, the survivor, stated that she and her son were with her husband, Manjunath Rao, at the time he was shot. “We had reached the spot by horse riding. My husband was looking to buy something for my son to eat. Within minutes, I found my husband in a pool of blood. He died in front of my eyes, and I was helpless,” she shared.
Expressing gratitude to the locals who came to her aid during the horrific incident, Pallavi said that they have been extremely supportive and caring. “Three local Muslims, reciting ‘Bismillah’, helped us come down from the spot where the attack took place. They were like my brothers,” she said.
She added that one of them carried her son, while the other two helped her navigate the difficult terrain.
Pallavi, a manager at the Birur branch of the Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society (MAMCOS), said it had been her husband’s dream to visit Kashmir. Visibly distressed, she said, “Now, I feel we should not have come here.”
Manjunath Rao, a 47-year-old realtor, was on a trip to Jammu Kashmir with his wife and their 18-year-old son. They had left Shivamogga for the trip on April 19 and were scheduled to return on April 24.
Geetha, the mother-in-law of Manjunatha Rao, expressed deep sorrow, stating that the family had sent their children to Kashmir believing the government's assurances of safety. She said they would not have allowed the trip had they been informed that the situation there was unsafe.
Meanwhile, district in-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa informed the bereaved family about the arrangements made by the state government to bring Manjunatha Rao's mortal remains back to Shivamogga.
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