Karnataka HC notice to Karnataka govt on PIL against sections of BBMP Act
Bengaluru, Feb 28: The High Court of Karnataka has issued notice to the state government on a public interest litigation challenging the Constitutional validity of several sections of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020.
The Citizens Action Forum has challenged Sections 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 and 86 of the Act claiming that they "are prima facie violative of several provision of the Constitution of India."
The petition has also alleged that Sections 75 and 77, which allow creation of Constituency Consultative Committee and the Zonal Committee, "that in effect operate so as to supersede the Ward Committees and render them otiose."
The Constitution allows for the creation of ward committees but not other panels. "These committees have been established in blatant violation of the spirit of Article 243-S" of the Constitution, the petition says.
The petition came up for hearing before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale.
Section 76 of the BBMP Act prescribes the function of the Constituency Consultative Committee while Section 78 outlines the powers and functions of the Zonal Committee.
The petition alleges that the "Constituency Consultative Committee exercises executive and supervisory powers over the Zonal Committee which in turn exercises executive and supervisory powers over the Ward Committees."
Alleging that "the impugned Sections are in blatant disregard of Part IX-A of the Constitution, its objectives and reasons, and renders the Ward Committees, established by constitutional mandate, nugatory and otiose," the petition calls for their quashing.
Citing an example of how the ward committees have been made toothless', the petition said, "The Government of Karnataka has on 01.04.2022 announced that the BBMP's budget outlay for the year 2022-23 will be Rs.10,484 Crore. The Government of Karnataka has on 08.05.2022 conditionally approved an additional outlay of Rs.377.5 Crore. Of these funds, Rs.924 Crore are earmarked for Ward level works. These public monies will be utilized by the Constituency Consultative Committees and the Zonal Committees, to the exclusion of the Ward Committees."
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Actress Honey Rose files police complaint against Boby Chemmanur, alleges 'sexual' harassment
Kochi, Jan 7: Malayalam actress Honey Rose on Tuesday lodged a police complaint against prominent businessman Boby Chemmanur, accusing him of making "repeated sexually coloured" remarks against her.
Rose posted the allegation on one of her social media handles.
Chemmanur rejected Rose's allegations, claiming there was nothing objectionable in what he had said.
Ernakulam Central police said further procedures are underway in Rose's complaint, and they will soon register a case against the businessman under BNS Section 75 (sexual harassment).
"I have filed a complaint with the Ernakulam Central Police Station against your (Chemmanur) continuous derogatory remarks about me. I will take the same action against your supporters who share the same mentality. You can continue to rely on your wealth, but I have faith in the Indian legal system," she said in her Facebook post.
She also warned others with a "similar mindset" to his of strict legal action.
In the Facebook post, Rose further told the businessman to continue believing in his money power.
Rejecting the actress's charges, Chemmanur said there were no such issues between them as raised by her.
He claimed that he didn't use any derogatory terms, as alleged by her, and he always interacted with her in a friendly manner.
"She attended two of my inauguration events. We danced... I used to tell jokes. She seemed to have no issue with those things. And now she lodged a complaint against me after months," the businessman said.
He said he did not think that she had any personal grudge against him.
The jeweller further claimed that he behaves decently with women and said he discussed the matter with his lawyers, who said there was nothing objectionable in what he had said.
Rose revealed the identity of the businessman two days after she posted on Facebook on Sunday, accusing an individual of stalking her and making sexually inappropriate remarks, including through media platforms, which she claimed outraged her modesty.
Several people posted offensive comments below her post, prompting Rose to approach the police.
The Kochi Central Police have already registered a case against 30 people and arrested one of them over her complaint about sexual harassment through social media.
The arrested man was identified as Shaji, a 60-year-old man hailing from nearby Panangad.
The accused were booked under various sections of the BNS, including Section 75 and Section 67 of the IT Act. BNS Section 75 deals with sexual harassment, and IT Act Section 67 refers to the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.
"We have intensified our investigation. Many of those who posted such remarks have deleted them. Efforts are underway to retrieve such posts and identify the accused," a police officer said on Tuesday morning.
Rose is known for her roles in a handful of movies in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.
