Karnataka theatres avoid screening 'Kaala' amid protests
Bengaluru, June 7: Single screen theatres and multiplexes across Karnataka on Thursday avoided screening the multi-lingual "Kaala" film of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth amid vociferous protests by pro-Kannada activists against his remarks on the Cauvery river water issue.
"We are unable to screen 'Kaala' film for the time being despite the security provided due to strong protests against its release by the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists outside," a multiplex official told IANS here.
Though police were deployed at some 120 theatres and multiplexes where the film was to be screened on the Karnataka High Court's direction on Tuesday, morning and afternoon shows were cancelled to avoid untoward incidents.
"We have not issued tickets for the morning and afternoon shows though many fans turned up to watch the movie on the first day first show as we do not want to antagonise the protesters and also want to ensure that the tense situation outside does not go out of hand," said the official on the condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of activists of pro-Kannada organisations, including the KRV, gathered outside theatres and multiplexes in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Ballari and Belagavi to protest against the film's release.
"Cauvery water is more important than a Rajinikanth film for us. Our honour and Kannada pride are at stake. He (Rajinikanth) has hurt us by supporting the cause of Tamil Nadu in the sharing of the river water," KRV president Praveen Shetty told reporters here.
Many fans who bought the tickets online for the show on Wednesday were disappointed as they could not watch their favourite superstar's film.
Besides the original Tamil version, the film has been released across the country and beyond with subtitles in Hindi, Telugu and English.
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Higher edu students of madrassas face uncertain future after SC order; demands to accommodate them
Lucknow (PTI): After the Supreme Court declared higher education degrees awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Board unconstitutional, there is a demand to accommodate the about 25,000 students who are currently pursing these courses in any other recognised university.
The state government has also said it will find a way out after considering all the legal aspects of this matter.
In an order on November 5, the Supreme Court declared the Kamil and Fazil degrees -- equivalent to graduation and post-graduation degrees -- awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Board Board unconstitutional, saying it was in conflict with the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act.
Zaman Khan, the General Secretary of the Teachers Association Madaris Arabia Uttar Pradesh, said the court's decision has created a difficult situation for the thousands of current students as the board will not be able to conduct exams for these courses now.
"The order of the Supreme Court is supreme. But the government must find some way to deal with the situation that has arisen so that the future of the students studying in the Kamil and Fazil courses of the Madrasa Board does not remain dark," he told PTI said on Sunday.
Minority Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said the government will definitely find a way out by studying the SC order and discussing its various legal aspects.
On the question of whether the students studying in the Madrasa Board's Kamil and Fazil courses will be linked to any other university, the minister said, "All aspects will be considered and only after that the government will take any decision."
Madrasa Board Registrar R P Singh said about 25,000 students are studying in the Kamil and Fazil courses run by the board currently, and whatever decision the government takes will be followed.
Meanwhile, former Madrasa Board member Qamar Ali said that the Board's Kamil degree had the status of graduation and Fazil degree had the status of post-graduation, but even earlier they were not recognised for appearing in competitive examinations.
These degree-holders would get jobs only in madrasas which has also ended after the Supreme Court order, he said, demanding the current students be given a chance in recognised universities.
The Madrasa Board had earlier given a proposal to the government to accommodate the students of its Kamil and Fazil courses in the Lucknow-based 'Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu-Arabic-Persian University' but no decision was taken on it, he said.
It is not clear from the order that from when these degrees will be considered unconstitutional, but the government should take steps to affiliate these students with a UGC-recognised university, he said.
There are about 25,000 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh -- 16,500 recognised by the State Madrasa Board and 8,500 unrecognized. A total of 560 of them receive grants from the state government.
In its order on October 5, the SC upheld the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board Act, 2004, overturning an Allahabad High Court order of March 2024 which declared it unconstitutional.
However, the SC declared the provisions pertaining to higher education (Kamil and Fazil degrees) were unconstitutional (meaning the Madrasa Board cannot offer these degrees) as they are in conflict with University Grant Commission (UGC) Act.
"The UGC Act governs the standards for higher education and a state legislation cannot seek to regulate higher education, in contravention of the provisions of the UGC Act," it said.
