Reports claim Siddaramaiah "gifted" Benz car, Congress denies
Bengaluru, Jan 20: Amid the political turbulence in Karnataka, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah found himself in a fresh controversy after media reports emerged that he had been "gifted" a Mercedes-Benz car by his party legislator.
The car claimed to be worth over Rs 1.5 crore was allegedly "gifted" by Byrathi Suresh, an agriculturist-cum industrialist and a realtor who is one of the richest politicians in Karnataka.
Suresh had declared assets of Rs 416 crore in the affidavit filed by him for the 2017 May assembly polls.
Latching on to the reports, the state BJP questioned Siddaramaiah and accused him of having "made enough and more money" during his "10 per cent government".
The 10 per cent barb refers to alleged commission that the party claimed used to be paid during Siddaramaiah's chief ministership.
"Congress MLA Byrathi Suresh gifts Sri @siddaramaiah a Mercedes-Benz car worth 1.5 crore.Wears spectacle costing 2 Lakh. Wore 80 lakh worth hublot watch. Siddaramaiah vere looks like you have made enough & more money during your 10% govt, " the state BJP tweeted.
Refuting media reports, Congress leader and minister D K Shivakumar said Siddaramaiah has not been gifted the car by Suresh, but given for his traveling purposes.
"There is no gift or anything. We sometimes take our friends' vehicle to travel. There is no issue. Is there any record that he has received a gift or anything? Nothing, no record," he said.
In June 2018 also, Siddaramaiah was at the vortex of controversy after the then minister K J George allegedly gifted him Toyota Land Cruiser with fuel coupons for a year.
George, then, had deflected the charges by saying that he had lent the vehicle as Siddaramaiah was uncomfortable traveling long distances in his Innova car.
Earlier in February 2016, Siddaramaiah had been mired in controversy over a Rs 70 lakh worth diamond-studded Hublot watch gifted to him.
Siddaramaiah later handed over the watch to the then assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa amid an uproar in the House, declaring it a state asset.
Both opposition BJP and JDS members had staged a dharna in the well of the House then.
Countering the allegations, Siddaramaiah had said the pre-owned "HUBLOT BIG BANG-301-M" wrist watch was presented to him by his Dubai-based NRI friend Dr Girish Chandra Varma in July last at Bengaluru as a personal gift.
Siddaramaiah also said Varma had no official dealings with Government of Karnataka or its organisations.
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
