Lawyer asks Karnataka speaker to rent him Suvarna Vidhan Soudha for daughter's birthday celebrations
A Karnataka lawyer has written to Karnataka Assembly Speaker seeking the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha to be rented out for his daughter's birthday celebrations.
Suvarna Vidhan Soudha is currently hosting legislative sessions and critical matters of the state are being discussed during the sessions.
The letter, written by advocate Mallikarjun Choukasi of Gokak Taluk states that the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha remains unused and unoccupied for most part of the year except for 15 days of legislative sessions, hence urged the speaker and Deputy Commissioner to rent it out for people to celebrate their auspicious occasions.
“My one and only daughter Manishree will complete her 5th year on January 30th and step into her 6th year. She is soon to enter 1st standard. This is a precious moment in her life. Hence, together with her birthday celebrations, in our region, we have a tradition of doing Huttudatti, which is also a ‘once in a lifetime’ event. Therefore, it is a request that the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises – which is akin to a haunted house for most of the year other than the 15 days it is occupied and busy – be rented out for this occasion.” he has written in the letter.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
