Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday warned JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna to behave properly in the court during a hearing in a case related to his campaign for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

Revanna, who is the lone Lok Sabha member from Karnataka representing his party, is facing challenge to his election as Hassan MP in two election petitions the court is hearing.

On Wednesday, Revanna was in the witness box answering questions posed by the advocate for the petitioner, Keshava Reddy. His extended answers and his attempt to casually chat with the advocate after the questioning did not go down well with the court.

The single judge bench of Justice K Natarajan, who is hearing the case, had to warn him.

"Know your limits. You are in a court. Do not speak like you do outside," the court cautioned him. The MP was, then, allowed to sit on a chair inside the witness box.

The petition has been filed by A Manju, the defeated candidate in the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which Prajwal Revanna won. The petition alleged that Revanna has not declared all the expenses made by him in the polls before the Election Commission.

One of the questions posed to him on Wednesday was about the participation of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in his campaign and his arrival in a helicopter for the same.

Revanna replied that since Deve Gowda was a star campaigner of the party, the election expense incurred by him is not added to the candidate's expenditure.

Meanwhile, Revanna has filed an affidavit in court seeking permission to travel abroad for treating his back injury sustained in an accident last year. He has stated that he would be treated in London between October 23 and 26 and would return on November 1.

The hearing of the petition has been adjourned to November 4 for cross examination.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded a comprehensive investigation and strict accountability for the tragic fire at a nightclub in Goa that killed 25 people, with Rahul Gandhi claiming it was a criminal failure of safety and governance.

The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa, early Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including four tourists and 14 staff members, and injuring six others.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the blaze.

“This avoidable tragic incident is an irreparable loss, and I pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured.

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“Such tragedies call for a comprehensive investigation, strict accountability, and immediate steps to ensure that all fire safety norms are enforced, so that such devastating incidents are never repeated,” Kharge said in a post on X.

The veteran leader also appealed to all the Congress workers in the coastal region to extend every possible support and assistance to the affected families and stand with them in this hour of grief.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said he was deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora.

“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured. This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough, transparent probe must fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don't occur again,” Gandhi said in an X post.

Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, sought fixing of accountability for the tragic blaze so that such incidents are not repeated.

"The fire at a night club in Arpora, Goa, is shocking and I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims who lost their lives.

"This tragedy took place because of the negligence of the authorities in enforcing fire safety norms. We urge a thorough and impartial investigation to identify those responsible and to ensure accountability, so that such a tragedy is never repeated," he said in a post on X.