K'taka Legislative Council chairperson Horatti takes exception to CID probing C T Ravi episode
Bengaluru (PTI): The Chairperson of the Karnataka Legislative Council, Basavaraja S Horatti, has taken exception to the CID probing the episode involving BJP MLC C T Ravi allegedly using foul words against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar inside the council in Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on December 19 last year.
In a letter to state Home Minister G Parameshwara on January 10, Horatti underlined that he has already given his verdict on the episode, which is final.
The letter was shared with the media on Sunday.
"The chair has already given its verdict after reviewing the Constitution of India, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the Karnataka Legislative Council, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Kaul and Shakter's Practice and Procedure of Parliament and Subhash Kashyap's Balimantori Procedures regarding the incident that took place in the Legislative Council of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Belgaum on 19.12.2024," the council Chairperson said.
He further said, "The chairperson, being a constitutional post, has the sovereign power over the parliamentary system and process, and the House has the power to punish its members for disorderly conduct or other abuses in the House while it is in session."
Accordingly, the chairperson has the power to maintain the traditions that have been followed so far and to control the proceedings within the premises of the House, and his decision is final, Horatti added.
He said it seems that the executive is allowing a constitutional conflict by entrusting the case to the CID, in violation of parliamentary procedure and process and the special powers granted to the legislature and the Speaker in the Constitution of India.
The Chairperson said that there should be no premise of unnecessary conflict between the legislature and the executive.
"It is a matter of course for you to know that the incident that took place in the Legislative Council falls within the purview of the Chairperson, and we, the Executive and the Legislative, must perform our respective duties with mutual respect within the framework of the Constitution," he said.
Noting that Parameshwara has vast experience of working in various institutions of the Constitution, he exuded confidence in him that he will perform his duties under the Constitution.
"Accordingly, I trust that you will handle this case keeping in mind the special rights provided to the Legislature/MLAs in the framework of the Constitution and the rights vested in the Speaker in parliamentary procedures and processes, and the sovereignty of the House," Horatti said.
Reacting to it, Parameshwara told reporters here on Sunday that he has not received the letter though he came to know about Horatti’s letter in the media.
"I will first see what is there in the letter, after which I will get the advice of legal experts and law department. We will do whatever is within the framework of law," the Home Minister said.
He said the matter has been handed over to the CID to find out the truth behind the incident to put an end to the confusions.
The police registered an FIR against Ravi on December 19, 2024 for allegedly using derogatory words against Hebbalkar and arrested him the same evening.
He was finally released on the High Court order which maintained that his arrest was prima facie illegal for not following the due process of law.
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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