K'taka HC junks PIL seeking revival of shelved Belur-Sakleshpur railway line

Vartha Bharati | 22-02-2023 | 20:11:00 IST

Bengaluru, Feb 22: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking the restoration of the proposal for a railway link between Belur and Sakleshpur in the state.

The Belur-Sakleshpur railway line was proposed by the state government on January 17, 2019 but the project subsequently got shelved owing to cost escalation.

The petition filed by one H C Nandish claimed that the railway link would be beneficial to the people of the region and the proposal should not be dropped.

The public interest litigation (PIL) came up for hearing before the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi.

The government, in its objections, pointed out that while the Chikmagaluru-Belur-Sakleshpur project has been dropped, another proposal between Chikmagaluru-Beluru-Hassan-SakleshpurMangaluru would connect Sakleshpur. The government also objected to the petition stating that the petitioners are not experts and have also failed to provide any cogent material to support their claims.

The HC said it would not interfere in policy matters of the government. Quoting the Supreme Court judgment in the Union of India vs J D Suryavanshi case, the HC said it was for the Railways to decide on railway lines after considering various technical, financial and administrative considerations. PTI GMS HDA HDA

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RSS-BJP's main objective is to finish off Constitution: Rahul Gandhi

12-04-2026 ¦ 12-04-2026 IST

Rahul Gandhi (PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the RSS-BJP on Sunday, alleging their main objective is to finish off the Constitution because they don't want that everyone in India is considered an equal.

Gandhi made the remarks before flagging off the 'Run For Ambedkar, Run For Constitution' marathon here, ahead of Ambedkar's birth anniversary on April 14.

"Ambedkar ji's main message was that of the Constitution. Without the Constitution, what we call India would not have been there. Today, the people who are of the mindset of RSS-BJP want to finish off the Constitution. Whatever they say, their main objective is to erase the Constitution because they don't want that everyone in India is considered an equal," Gandhi said addressing the gathering before the start of the marathon from Mandi House.

"Whatever they (RSS-BJP) do, they even bow before Ambedkar ji's statue, but their objective is to finish off the Constitution. Our objective is to protect the Constitution and strengthen the Constitution," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

"We want that the thought of the Constitution and its protection reaches every corner of the country and that is why we have organised this 'Run for Ambedkar, Run for Constitution'," Gandhi, dressed in a blue T-shirt, said.

Later, in a Facebook post, Gandhi said he flagged off the marathon organised by the Congress' SC Department from Mandi House.

"This run serves as a demonstration of our commitment to the ideals of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and to the Constitution of India," Gandhi said.

"Today, when constitutional values are under assault, we must unite and fight against every injustice and act of discrimination with the same resolve as Babasaheb. Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan, Jai Hind," he said in his post in Hindi.

The SC and OBC departments of the AICC celebrated the birth anniversary of Jyotiba Rao Phule with an event at Indira Bhawan in Lucknow on Saturday.

Ambedkar Jayanti, celebrated annually on April 14, marks the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and a champion of social equality.

Former Indian cricket team captain and Telangana minister Mohammad Azharuddin also participated in the event to flag off the marathon.

Lauding the marathon initiative by the Congress, Azharuddin said, "I would like this campaign to happen all over India because 'Run for Ambedkar, Run for Constitution' is a very good initiative, it should be maintained and promoted further."

He called for unity in the country, asserting that the country can only progress with unity.