Rahul Gandhi to appear in Bengaluru Court tomorrow in defamation case filed by Karnataka BJP
Bengaluru, Jun 6: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before a special court here on Friday in connection with a defamation case filed by the Karnataka BJP for issuing allegedly defamatory advertisements in mainstream newspapers.
The advertisement ahead of the assembly polls last year had accused the then BJP government in the state of indulging in large-scale corruption during its 2019-2023 rule.
"Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the City Civil Court at 10.30 am tomorrow (Friday)," the state Congress said on Thursday.
Later, he will hold a discussion with the Congress's newly-elected MPs from the state as well as the defeated candidates at Bharat Jodo Bhavan on Queens Road at 11.30 am, the party's state unit said, adding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D K Shivakumar will also be present.
The court had on June 1 granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after they appeared before it in connection with the case.
Judge K N Shivakumar had passed the order while setting June 7 as the date for Rahul Gandhi’s personal appearance.
During the hearing last week, the counsel for Gandhi moved an application seeking exemption from appearance for his client, which was opposed by the complainant's side, arguing that repeated exemptions should not be permitted.
The BJP had in its complaint filed in June 2023 alleged that false and reckless allegations were made in the advertisements issued by the accused persons on May 5, 2023 in all the mainstream newspapers in Karnataka during campaigning for assembly polls, under the title "Corruption rate card" and making accusations of "40 per cent Commission Sarkara (government)".
It was alleged in the complaint that the advertisements were issued by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (state Congress) through Shivakumar, in his capacity as its president and by Siddaramaiah, as the then Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly.
Rahul Gandhi had put up a post of this "defamatory advertisement" on his account on social media platform X, the BJP pointed out.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
