Karnataka HC rejects habeas corpus pleas in Ranya Rao gold smuggling case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed two habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention of accused persons in the gold smuggling case linked to actress Ranya Rao.
According to the report published by Deccan Herald on Tuesday, the petitions were filed by relatives of Konduru Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakariya Jain, who were detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA). The court refused to interfere with the preventive detention orders passed against them.
Incidentally, the court had rejected the habeas corpus petition filed by H P Rohini, Ranya's mother, challenging her daughter’s detention under COFEPOSA. Ranya was arrested on Mar 3, 2025, for smuggling 14.2 kg gold into Kempegowda airport.
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Based on Ranya Rao’s voluntary statement, investigators arrested Tarun Raju and Sahil Jain for allegedly helping her dispose of the smuggled gold and facilitating hawala money transfers to Dubai. Preventive detention orders were issued against them on April 22 under COFEPOSA.
As per the report, the petitions were filed by Rama Raju, a relative of Tarun Raju, and Priyanka Sakariya, cousin of Sahil Jain. They questioned the detention citing procedural deficiencies. The petitioners argued that there is no evidence to show their involvement in the airport seizure or in any other transaction.
However, a division bench comprising Justices Anu Sivaraman and Vijayakumar A. Patil rejected these arguments. The court observed that the detention orders clearly explained the role of each accused and that all procedural safeguards had been followed.
The bench reportedly said the detaining authority had arrived at its decision after carefully examining all relevant materials and upheld the validity of the preventive detention orders.
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Karnataka government employees demand return of Old Pension Scheme
Bengaluru: Government employees in Karnataka have urged the state government to scrap the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), The New Indian Express reported.
The demand was made by the Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, whose leaders met senior IAS officer Uma Mahadevan on Monday and submitted a memorandum. The association asked the NPS Review Committee, headed by senior IAS officer Anjum Parvez, to recommend the reintroduction of OPS in the state.
Association president C.S. Shadakshari reportedly said the review committee has already visited Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where NPS was revoked and OPS re-implemented. The committee is yet to submit its report, but has told the government it will do so soon.
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Shadakshari allegedly said NPS has been in force in Karnataka since 2006. He pointed out that West Bengal never adopted the scheme, while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana replaced NPS with a contributory pension model.
States including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand have already scrapped NPS through cabinet decisions or budget announcements.
“Under NPS, 10% of the employees’ basic salary and DA, and 14% contribution from the state is credited to the employees’ fund. It constitutes 24% of the total which is non-withdrawable. This is invested in the share market and the final amount depends on the ups and downs of the market,” TNIE quoted Shadakshar as saying.
As per the report, he said that by limiting its contribution to 14%, the government could save up to ₹1.87 lakh crore annually if all vacancies are filled, strengthening the case for bringing back the old pension system.
