No expansion, reshuffle of Cabinet in Karnataka right now, says CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who reportedly met the Congress High Command here on Friday, has clarified that the state Cabinet will be neither reshuffled nor expanded in the near future. He also stated that the news was generated and spread by the media although he had not hinted at any such occurrence.
Addressing reporters in the city after meeting President of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Mallikarjun Kharge and former President and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah hit back at the media when asked about cabinet reshuffle and expansion in Karnataka. Denying having made any such statement so far, the CM said that the reporters were themselves answerable for it, given that the news was generated and spread by reporters.
He also pointed out that the media houses had published lists of Congress members who would possibly be the new ministers in the Karnataka government.
Siddaramaiah, who further said that the issues of restructuring the volume of the Cabinet, creation of portfolios and expansion were not discussed with the party high command, however, said that senior member Nagendra would be made a member of the Cabinet later.
A conference of the Congress party and the Backward Class organization, ‘Swabhimani Janandolana Samavesha’, will be organized on December 5 and attended by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar and Congress leader in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, said Siddaramaiah. He clarified that he had no information of any ‘anonymous letter’ regarding the conference to the high command and added that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge too had made no reference to such communication during their meeting on Friday.
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Gujarat HC orders man to deposit Rs 1 lakh for attending virtual proceedings from toilet
Ahmedabad, July 14 (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Monday directed a man, facing contempt of court for attending a virtual court hearing while relieving himself on a toilet seat, to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the court's registry after observing that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology.
The incident occurred on June 20 when Justice Nirzar S Desai was hearing a case. A video of the man soon went viral, prompting the high court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings.
On Monday, the division bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani directed the man, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, to deposit Rs 1 lakh in the court registry by July 22, the next date of the hearing.
"The contemnor has admitted to his conduct during the live-streaming proceedings and submitted that he was ready to tender an unconditional apology. Thus, at this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit the amount of Rs 1 lakh before the registry of this court by the next date of hearing," the court ordered.
According to the report submitted to the court, Shah attended the hearing on June 20 for a total of 74 minutes, during which he was seen sitting on a toilet and relieving himself.
Shah's lawyer told the court that his client would tender an unconditional apology for his behaviour.
When questioned, the lawyer confirmed he had advised Shah to present himself appropriately for the hearing.
The now-infamous video showed Shah using a toilet during the proceedings, sparking outrage and leading the court to order the video’s immediate removal and ban, citing damage to the judiciary’s image.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gujarat High Court has permitted lawyers and litigants to join hearings virtually. Proceedings are live-streamed via the court's YouTube channel.
After finishing his business, Shah was seen picking up his phone and leaving. Justice Desai appeared unaware of his surroundings at the time.
Wearing wireless earphones, he can be seen logging in again later in the livestream, sitting in a room and waiting for his turn.
After nearly 10 minutes, he identified himself as Abdul Samad Shah, a resident of Kim village in Surat and the complainant in an assault case.
His lawyers told the court that Shah had lodged a complaint against two individuals but that a compromise had been reached between both parties.
While hearing the petition filed by the accused seeking to quash the FIR, Justice Desai asked Shah if he consented to the plea. Upon hearing Shah’s no-objection, the judge approved the petition.
