Over 22 per cent polling in 14 LS seats in Karnataka till 11 am
Bengaluru (PTI): An estimated 22.34 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday.
Long queues were seen at many polling booths, as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers, came out to vote during the early hours of the voting, which began at 7 am.
According to election officials, the voter percentage till 11 am was about 22.34 per cent.
Out of 14 segments that are going to polls today, highest turnout of 30.98 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 29.03 per cent, and the least 19.21 per cent in Bangalore Central.
The turnout was 19.81 per cent in Bangalore South, and 19.78 per cent in Bangalore North.
In the first phase, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Besides the three, the segments where elections are being held on Friday are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state back then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma exercised their franchise at Paduvalahippe village in Hassan district, while his son and former CM H D Kumaraswamy along with wife Anitha and son Nikhil cast vote at Kethaganahalli in Ramanagara district.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah voted at his native village Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru district.
RSS Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale cast his ballot at Sheshadripuram in Bengaluru.
Rajya Sabha member and 'Dharmadhikari' of the Dharmasthala, Veerendra Heggade, Vishwaprasanna Teertha Swamiji of the Pejavara Mutt, Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji of Sri Suttur Math,and Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, were among the early voters.
Bangalore South MP and candidate Tejasvi Surya, Hassan candidate and MP Prajwal Revanna, also several film personalities including actor Ravichandran, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, Duniya Vijay and Dhananjay also exercised their democratic right.
According to officials, 101-year-old Narayana Rao and his wife Lakshmi, aged 92, voted in Bengaluru's Padmanabhanagar.
In separate incidents, two brides -- one each from Chikkamagaluru and Madikeri -- dressed in their wedding attire exercised her franchise before reaching the marriage venue in the morning. A groom cast his vote in Chamarajanagar district before rushing to tie the nuptial knot.
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BMW hit-and-run case: HC refuses to release accused Mihir Shah on ground of 'illegal' arrest
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to release Mihir Shah, the main accused in a BMW hit-and-run case, on the ground of "illegal" arrest.
Shah, the 24-year-old son of a former Shiv Sena leader, and his driver Rajrishi Bidawat had filed petitions in the HC claiming they have been illegally detained and sought immediate release.
Shah was arrested on July 9, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area, killing 45-year-old woman Kaveri Nakhwa and leaving her husband Pradeep injured.
His driver Bidawat, who was also present in the car at the time of the accident, was arrested on the day of the incident.
As per their pleas, the police had not informed them the grounds of their arrest at the time, which they claimed was in violation of the law.
A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande on Monday dismissed the petitions.
"Both the petitions are dismissed," the court said.
The duo sought their release, claiming any further detention would be in utter violation of the constitutional mandate and a failure to comply with Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Under this section, the police, while arresting a person, have to communicate to him/her full particulars of the offence for which he/she is being arrested or other grounds for such arrest.
Both Shah and Bidawat are presently in judicial custody.
In their habeas corpus (produce the person) petitions filed in the HC in August, Shah and Bidawat claimed their detention was illegal and sought that they be released immediately.
Shah, in the plea, sought quashing of the orders passed by a local court remanding him first in police custody and then judicial custody.
He also sought for his arrest to be declared as illegal.
Shah is accused of speeding off towards the Bandra Worli Sea Link after the accident, even as the woman remained on the bonnet of the car and then got entangled in its wheels, for a distance of more than 1.5 kilometres.
As per police, Shah, who fled from the scene, was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Mihir Shah's father and former Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah had also been arrested in the case, but was later granted bail.
