Siddaramaiah backed out fearing criticism and uproar but I would not have 'cowered': DCM Shivakumar
steel flyover project
Bengaluru, June 28: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said he would not have "cowered" for any reason from going ahead with the steel flyover project, whereas Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the previous Congress government's tenure, backed out from it "fearing" criticism and uproar against it.
Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, made the comment while speaking on the occasion of Kempegowda Jayanti celebrations in Vidhana Soudha, and said that various stakeholders have asked him to consider building tunnels and flyovers in the city.
"In the previous Siddaramaiah government, a move was made towards building a steel bridge. There was such a huge uproar and criticism, and drums were beaten to say there was bribery and corruption. Siddaramaiah feared it (criticism and uproar). He and George (the then Bengaluru City Development minister K J George) said no to it," Shivakumar said on Tuesday.
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"If it was me, I would not have cowered for any reason... Even now I will take certain decisions," he said, adding that he will move ahead, and those wanting to protest can do so.
Shivakumar is referring to a past proposal to build a 6.7-km-long steel flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal Junction at a cost of Rs 1,761 crore, to improve connectivity to the airport and to get relief from traffic congestion.
As many as 800 trees would have been felled if the steel flyover was to be built.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, "Basically, D K Shivkumar (sic) is telling that Siddaramaiah is no good as an administrator or even as Chief Minister. It has not even been a few months and internecine war, between the two factions, threatens to paralyse the Karnataka Govt. 5 Guarantees have also not been implemented."
Basically, D K Shivkumar is telling that Siddaramaiah is no good as an administrator or even as Chief Minister. It has not even been a few months and internecine war, between the two factions, threatens to paralyse the Karnataka Govt.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 28, 2023
5 Guarantees have also not been implemented. https://t.co/T0dqi9VAFs
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Broken relationships don't automatically amount to abetment of suicide: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Broken relationships, while emotionally distressing, do not automatically amount to abetment of suicide in the absence of intention leading to the criminal offence, the Supreme Court on Friday said.
The observations came from a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgement, which overturned the conviction of one Kamaruddin Dastagir Sanadi by the Karnataka High Court for the offences of cheating and abetment of suicide under the IPC.
"This is a case of a broken relationship, not criminal conduct," the judgment said.
Sanadi was initially charged under Sections 417 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 376 (rape) of the IPC.
While the trial court acquitted him of all the charges, the Karnataka High Court, on the state's appeal, convicted him of cheating and abetment of suicide, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and imposing Rs 25,000 in fine.
According to the FIR registered at the mother's instance, her 21-year-old daughter was in love with the accused for the past eight years and died by suicide in August, 2007, after he refused to keep his promise to marry.
Writing a 17-page judgement, Justice Mithal analysed the two dying declarations of the woman and noted that neither was there any allegation of a physical relationship between the couple nor there was any intentional act leading to the suicide.
The judgement therefore underlined broken relationships were emotionally distressing, but did not automatically amount to criminal offences.
"Even in cases where the victim dies by suicide, which may be as a result of cruelty meted out to her, the courts have always held that discord and differences in domestic life are quite common in society and that the commission of such an offence largely depends upon the mental state of the victim," said the apex court.
The court further said, "Surely, until and unless some guilty intention on the part of the accused is established, it is ordinarily not possible to convict him for an offence under Section 306 IPC.”
The judgement said there was no evidence to suggest that the man instigated or provoked the woman to die by suicide and underscored a mere refusal to marry, even after a long relationship, did not constitute abetment.
