Top Kannada actors face I-T dept heat for 2nd day
I-T officials raid four top Kannada actors, three producers
Bengaluru, Jan 4: The Income Tax department raids on four leading Kannada film actors and three producers here continued for the second day Friday, officials said.
In a simultaneous swoop down, the I-T officials began the raids Thursday morning on the properties of film actors Shiva Rajkumar and his brother Puneeth Rajkumar, sons of Kannada thespian late Rajkumar, and Sudeep and Yash.
The film producers who were raided are C R Manohar, 'Rockline' Venkatesh and Vijay Kiragandur.
With no relief to the actors and producers on the second day as well, the Income Tax officials expanded the scope of the raid by searching the premises of their close friends and relatives, I-T sources said.
The sleuths went through documents, files, ledger books, and seized a huge cache of cash and gold, they said.
Meanwhile, supporters of Shiva Rajkumar staged a demonstration outside his Manyata Tech Park residence, protesting against the raid.
Sudeep had expressed his apprehension Thursday that the raids could be linked to three blockbuster movies 'KGF', 'Villain' and 'Nata Sarvabhouma'.
Nicknamed 'Hattrick star', Shivarajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar are the sons of Kannada thespian late Rajkumar.
Both actors have been delivering blockbuster movies.
Sudeep, who anchored the Kannada version of 'Big Boss', was hailed for his role in the movie 'Eega' - Makkhi in Hindi - and the multilingual 'Baahubali', which broke new grounds in Indian cinema and created records in box office collections.
'Rockline' Venkatesh had co-produced the Hindi movie 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'.
Vijay is the producer of the latest blockbuster movie "KGF", starring Yash, Srinidhi Shetty and Anant Nag.
The film hit 2,460 screens all over the country on December 21 and is reportedly a box office hit, not only in Kannada, but also in the Hindi and Tamil versions.
C R Manohar has his own production house called 'Tanvi Films'.
He has produced Kannada and Telugu movies.
His latest movie was 'The Villain', starring Shiva Rajkumar, Sudeep and Mithun Chakraborty.
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Punishment for those disrupting assembly proceedings, warns Speaker UT Khader
Belagavi: Speaker U.T. Khader on Friday warned that members who disrupt Assembly proceedings by talking in their seats during debates will be made to sit in the House for an entire day as a disciplinary measure.
The warning came after the Question Hour, when Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad was permitted to initiate a discussion on the development of North Karnataka.
At this point, expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal objected, stating that he had been seeking a debate for the past three days but had not been given an opportunity.
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Responding to the objection, Speaker Khader said Bellad had already been granted permission and assured Yatnal that he would be allowed to speak at the next opportunity. He noted that even as a serious discussion was underway, several MLAs were speaking among themselves with their microphones on, disrupting the proceedings.
Expressing displeasure over the conduct of members, Khader likened the situation to football, where players receive red, yellow, or white cards for violations. Similarly, he said, the Assembly issues warning cards to members who disturb the House. If they fail to correct themselves despite repeated warnings, they would be required to remain seated in the Assembly hall for a full day as punishment, he stated.
