Prepared for BBMP elections, welcome SC order: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, May 20: Welcoming the Supreme Court order on Friday regarding elections to the Bengaluru civic body, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state government is prepared and would make all arrangements to conduct the polls.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said necessary notifications regarding delimitation of wards and determining reservation percentage for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) should be notified within eight weeks.
The apex court also noted that the process of delimitation of wards is at the final stage and formal notification will be issued shortly by the government.
The top court said it has been urged before it that the state may be permitted to issue notification regarding delimitation within eight weeks.
"The government will make all the arrangements to conduct the elections, the Chief Minister told reporters, reacting to the order.
On whether the government will seek more time to conduct the elections, Bommai said the SC order has to be followed. We are already prepared for the election," he added.
The Chief Minister said the "Madhya Pradesh judgement" was worrying the government because the apex court had ordered that the elections should be held for local bodies -- urban and the rural without reservations.
But the Supreme Court has amended both for Madhya Pradesh as well as the BBMP. They have allowed us to do delimitation and reservations in eight weeks as per the new act. I welcome the judgment, Bommai said.
Stating that the delimitation of wards is in the final stage, the Chief Minister said he will direct the authorities concerned to issue a notification at the earliest.
He added that he has requested the committee working on the reservation of wards to finish it in eight weeks.
One satisfactory matter for us is that in the previous order, the SC had directed conducting elections without any reservation for the OBC. We had however, decided not to conduct elections without reservations for the OBC and decided to contest it in the apex court. Accordingly, a good decision has taken place, Bommai said.
Reacting to the Supreme Court order, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said the only task to be undertaken by the civic body is to conduct delimitation of wards whereas reservation of wards has to be done by the government.
For this purpose, eight weeks time has been given within which we will do it. Delimitation is almost at the final stage. We will send it to the government, Giri Nath said.
The Karnataka government decided to increase the number of wards from the existing 198 to 243. As a result, the delimitation of wards along with reservation was taken up, which delayed the BBMP election for almost two years.
The civic body was dissolved after the term was over on September 10, 2020.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
