No Ministers even 18 days after BSY became CM, dismiss govt: V S Ugrappa
Bengaluru, Aug 13: Questioning the Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's "silence" on the absence of Council of Ministers in the state, the Congress on Tuesday asked him to take cognisance of the matter and dismiss the BJP government led by B S Yediyurappa.
"It's been 18 days ever since Yediyurappa took over. Yet there is no council of ministers formed whereas the Constitution says the governor has to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers," Congress spokesperson V S Ugrappa told reporters.
Yediyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister on July 26 and since then has been heading a "one-man" government without ministers.
He was in the national capital last week to hold consultations with the party's central leadership on Cabinet expansion and finalise the names.
But Yediyurappa was told by the BJP President Amit Shah to head back to the state and supervise flood relief measures and attend to the needs of the victims.
The chief minister has already indicated that a decision on Ministry expansion is likely after August 16, following his visit to Delhi to meet party's central leadership.
According to party sources, only 10 to 12 members are likely to be inducted into the Ministry in the first round.
Ugrappa said: "I want to ask the Governor Is there a government in the state as per the constitution? Governor has to take a cognisance of the matter and dismiss the government. A Chief Minister cannot be called as a council of ministers."
Underlining that there was a need to have the cabinet at a time when there were floods across various parts of Karnataka, the Congress leader said a group of ministers holding crucial portfolios would have helped in taking decisions instantly.
Since there was a "crisis" in the state following the floods and incessant rains, Ugrappa said he would wait for a few days and if the cabinet was not formed then he would take legal recourse.
He claimed that damage caused by the floods and rains was to the tune of about Rs one lakh crore and the Centre should immediately declare it a national calamity and release maximum grant.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
