Karnataka HC stays second FIR against actor-politician Upendra
Bengaluru, Aug 17: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday granted an interim stay on the second FIR lodged against Kannada actor-director B M Upendrakumar, popularly known as Upendra, at Ulsoor Gate police station.
The high court had earlier granted a stay on the first FIR against Upendra at the Chennammanakere Achchukattu police station.
Justice Hemanth Chandanagoudar who heard the petition filed by Upendra said that the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been invoked against the petitioner though the charges under the Act have not been made against any specific person.
The court also considered the argument that the actor had only uttered a saying during the course of a talk.
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Upendra is facing criticism for his utterance "Oorendare Holageri Irutte," ("Where there is a village, there will be a colony of Holeyas" -- a Dalit community).
Upendra was interacting with fans to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his political party Uttama Prajaakeeya Party on Facebook on August 12 when he made the statement.
The first complaint against him was filed at Chennammanakere Achchukattu police station by Madhusudan K N, an Assistant Director at the Social Welfare Department.
The FIR was lodged under Section 3(1)(r)(s) of the Act. A second FIR was registered at the Halasuru Gate Police station on August 13, following a complaint by one Bharat Harishkumar, president of the Karnataka Ranadheera Pade.
While granting the interim stay, the HC said that both petitions filed by Upendra in respect of the two FIRs will be heard together. The court then adjourned the hearing.
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Students for Streeties urge Karnataka to scale up ABC, ARV programmes
Bengaluru (PTI): Students for Streeties, a student-led organisation, on Saturday urged the Karnataka government to scale up scientific dog population management through ABC and ARV programmes across the state, instead of investing heavily in dog shelters.
The appeal was made at a press conference here attended by representatives of animal welfare organisations and student groups, including All Paws Community, Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE) and Citizens for Animal Birth Control (ABC).
Actor Pooja Gandhi, through a video message, felicitated the Students for Streeties campaign and appealed to the Government of Karnataka to strictly implement the ABC programme.
Speakers said Bengaluru has remained free of human rabies due to strong systems such as a rabies helpline, ring vaccination and sustained ABC efforts. They stressed that community caregiving, coupled with robust ABC and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes, is the most effective and humane way to address dog bites and rabies.
The panel referred to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent post on X reiterating the need to follow the ABC Rules, 2023, and avoid impounding dogs.
They appealed to the state government to file an affidavit in the court, committing to statewide ABC implementation and developing a model on the lines of Bengaluru’s programme.
They also said they would seek meetings with the chief minister and chief secretary, urging the government not to spend crores on shelters and instead tackle the issue at nearly one-tenth of the cost through proven ABC and ARV measures.
