Karnataka HC says Murugha mutt seer's plea to sign cheques from jail lacks clarity
Bengaluru, Sep 29: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday said there was lack of clarity in the request of chief pontiff of Murugha Math Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru to sign around 200 bank cheques from the prison where he is lodged in connection with a sexual abuse case.
The seer, now in judicial custody, was arrested on September 1 under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually abusing two minor girls studying in a school belonging to the math.
Justice M Nagaprasanna who heard the plea of the chief pontiff directed his advocate on Wednesday to file the details of the cheques, and it was filed.
Today, the court studied the details and found the cheques payable to self.
The court said all the cheques had the payable details mentioned as Self RTGS" (real time gross settlement). Even cheques of huge amounts of Rs 14 lakh and Rs 30 lakh were self-addressed.
The court said there was no clarity in the request as the Seer wanted to sign the cheques to pay the salaries of 3,000 employees of the math and the 150 educational institutions run by it, but the plea, the court found, was odd as all the cheques were to "pay self."
State public prosecutor 1 Kiran Javali told the court that prima facie the submissions made by the accused did not seem bona fide. He requested the court to transfer the plea to the Sessions Court in Chitradurga for disposal on merit.
The High Court said that it was improper to request for self-addressed cheques to be signed by the accused in prison.
It said it had consented to hear the request only to make sure that the math employees did not suffer. The court said it would consider transferring the request to the Sessions Court.
The case was adjourned to Friday.
Earlier, a similar request was made by the seer before the Second Additional Sessions Judge BK Komala in Chitradurga where the POCSO case is pending. The judge has rejected the request. So, the seer approached the High Court with the same plea.
The chief pontiff has also been charged under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act.
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Bengaluru's wholesale cloth merchants suspend trade with Turkey, Azerbaijan
Bengaluru, May 17 (PTI): The Bangalore Wholesale Cloth Merchants Association (BWCMA) has decided to cease all import and export of textiles to and from Turkey and Azerbaijan, with immediate effect, citing their recent "support" for Pakistan in the wake of 'Operation Sindoor'.
The BWCMA have declared their unanimous decision in this regard.
"This collective action has been taken after careful deliberation and in alignment with our commitment to ethical business practices, national sentiment, and the interests of our trade community. As responsible stakeholders in the textile trade sector, we believe it is essential to take principled stands when necessary," BWCMA President Prakash Pirgal said in a statement.
"Accordingly, all our members have agreed to: halt all current and future import of textile goods from Turkey and Azerbaijan, cease all ongoing or planned export activities to these nations, and refrain from engaging in any indirect trade through intermediaries or third-party countries that may involve textile products originating from or destined for Turkey and Azerbaijan."
This resolution will remain in force until further notice, and any revision will be communicated officially through the Association's governing body, he said.
"BWCMA is an association of about 3,000 wholesale shops across Bengaluru. Our trade with these countries runs into crores of rupees, a lot of cloth materials come from there and also get exported," Pirgal told PTI, without sharing any actual figures.
He said, "These two countries have openly supported Pakistan following 'Operation Sindoor'. We stand with the Government of India, the country comes first. Remember when there was an earthquake in Turkey, India acted as a first responder to the unfolding humanitarian requirements there, but they have stood by Pakistan, which sent terrorists to kill our people."
The BWCMA has requested all concerned authorities, trade partners, logistics providers, and relevant stakeholders to take note of this declaration and co-operate with its members in ensuring adherence to the decision to suspend trade.
