Karnataka HM G Parameshwara rejects demand for CBI probe in cases against Prajwal Revanna
Bengaluru, May 8: Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Wednesday turned down former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s demand for a CBI probe into the sexual harassment case against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.
He said the state government's CID is competent enough to investigate the case.
“Kumaraswamy had raised over 100 questions. I cannot answer all of them. He had asked for the CBI probe, which we will not do. The SIT is competent. I have said that we will get a proper investigation done,” the Home Minister said.
According to Parameshwara, three people have been arrested so far in a case related to kidnapping of a woman, who is a mother of three, in which Holenarasipura JD(S) MLA and Prajwal’s father H D Revanna is also an accused and presently in the jail serving the judicial custody.
Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. His son Prajwal, who is under investigation for multiple cases of sexual harassment of women, has reportedly fled the country and is absconding.
Regarding the progress in the investigation, the home minister said three people have been arrested, including Revanna and his aide Sathish Babanna.
He declined to share the details of the third person saying that disclosing the name would affect the investigation.
To a question whether there will be any investigation against those who leaked the videos, Parameshwara said, “We do not wish to hide anything. The probe will also cover the circulation of the pen drive.”
“Kumaraswamy has alleged that policemen have distributed it. Which police distributed it and where, are the aspects we have to look into. The SIT will decide whether to issue any notice to Kumaraswamy on his charges,” Parameshwara explained.
He said the government trusts the SIT and will wait for its report to be submitted.
On Kumaraswamy’s demand to investigate Rahul Gandhi for his statement that 400 women were raped, Parameshwara said that it would be the decision of the SIT.
On not arresting Karthik Gowda, driver of Prajwal Revanna, who is believed to have had the pen drive containing explicit videos allegedly involving the MP and several women, Parameshwara said there should be clear evidence to arrest someone.
“Until we receive evidence, we cannot arrest Karthik or Devaraje Gowda (BJP leader),” the minister said.
On giving protection to Karthik or Devaraje Gowda, Parameshwara said that protection would be extended only to the women who were victims and nobody else.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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