Karnataka raises voice whenever tenets of federalism compromised: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Sunday underlined the need to repose faith in the Constitution as well as cooperative federalism.
In his Republic Day speech replete with the mention of the Indian constitution and the need to protect it, Gehlot said the Karnataka government raised its voice whenever the tenets of federalism as enshrined in the constitution were compromised.
Noting that the Constitution in its very first article declares India to be a union of states, Gehlot said it divides the sovereign power between the federation or the union and the states.
"The Government of Karnataka is fully committed to uphold the practices of the principles of union and has accordingly contributed to the development of the country as per the ideals of the Constitution," the Governor said in his address from the Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground.
"Karnataka has raised its voice whenever the tenets of federalism have been compromised. This Republic Day, let us all reiterate our faith in the Constitution as well as cooperative federalism," he added.
Gehlot also underlined that the Constitution has recognized and respected the administrative authority of the States, thereby respecting the diversity of the country to uphold the unity and integrity of the country while giving more power to the Union Government.
"The architects of our Constitution gave us the administrative system for this diverse country by adopting the principles of power sharing. It was the dream of our Constitution makers to build strong States and thereby a strong India, hence it is our common responsibility to uphold our Union respecting their vision," the Governor said.
He emphasised that the real strength of the Indian republic lies in unity in diversity, resilience of democratic institutions and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution.
On the occasion, the Governor also explained the five guarantees to achieve the ideals of social and economic justice laid down in the constitution, which are 'Shakti', 'Anna Bhagya', 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Gruha Lakshmi' and 'Yuva Nidhi'.
Stating that the Karnataka government managed the finances well in 2024-25, Gehlot said by the end of December 2024, the state's revenue collection stood at Rs 1,81,908 crores, achieving a year-on-year growth of 13 per cent.
Karnataka ranks second in the country in terms of total GST revenue collected by states.
Gehlot said Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, is recognised as a global technology hub, housing over 875 Global Capability Centres (GCCs) units, with more than 30 per cent of India's GCCs located in this city.
To further capitalise on this ecosystem, the Karnataka Government has introduced the Karnataka Global Capability Centre (GCC) Policy 2024-29, he added.
An impressive parade and colourful programme ensued after the Governor's address.
School children through their performances on patriotic songs showcased the hardships faced by the freedom fighters to achieve independence. The cultural diversity of the state and the country was highlighted during the event.
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Wangchuk not given videos which formed basis of his detention: Wife to SC
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New Delhi (PTI): Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo alleged in the Supreme Court on Thursday that four videos which formed the basis of her husband's detention were not shown to him and only the thumbnails on pen drive were displayed.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing in the court for Angmo, told a bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B Varale that not supplying the videos violated Wangchuk's right to effective representation before the advisory board as well as the government.
"It is now alleged by the State that that DIG came with a laptop and shown four videos. The laptop was provided to detenue on October 5, 2025, but those four vidoes were not there.
"Let us assume they showed it to be, that is not the requirement of law. The requirement is to give it to me. They have to provide the document, I don't have to ask. It is there constitutional duty to supply. We have said that time and again that the four was never supplied," Sibal said.
Another lawyer assisting Sibal informed the court that the pen drive was inserted in the laptop before Wangchuk and he only saw the thumbnails.
"The videos were not actually played. None of the thumbnails were actually clicked," the lawyer said.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj submitted that there is a video in which the conversation with the DIG and detenue will show everything.
The top court said it see the relevant video recordings, including a 40-minute video of the interaction between police officials and the detenue.
The matter is now posted for hearing on February 23.
On Monday, the apex court had questioned the Centre about the transcripts of videos submitted by it against Wangchuk and said the translations should be precise in the age of artificial intelligence.
It had told Nataraj that it wanted actual transcripts of Wangchuk's statements from the government after Sibal submitted that some of the words attributed to the activist were never said by him.
The top court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, seeking a declaration that his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, is illegal.
The NSA empowers the Centre and the states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India."
The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier. Angmo said the violence in Leh on September 24 last year cannot be attributed in any manner to the actions or statements of Wangchuk.
Wangchuk himself condemned the violence through his social media handles and categorically said it would lead to the failure of Ladakh's "tapasya" and its peaceful pursuit of five years, Angmo said, adding that it was the saddest day of his life.
