Vishweshwar Bhat pays Rs 1L fine, apologizes to ex-head of Raichur Kannada Sahitya Parishat
Fake news case
Raichur: Journalist and editor of the Kannada daily Vishwavani, Vishveshwar Bhat, has reportedly paid a fine of Rs 1 lakh and apologized to former chairperson of Kannada Sahitya Parishat District Unit Dr. Basava Prabhu Patil Bettadoor who had accused Bhat of publishing a defamatory and fake news about him.
M Veeranagouda Potnal, advocate for Bettadoor, said at a press meet here on Monday that Bhat, as ordered by court, paid the fine amount and issued a confessional statement, following which, the defamatory report case was concluded.
Speaking on the case, the advocate said that the 9th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana was organized in Potnal village of Manvi taluk in Raichur district on January 19-20, 2018. A report by Vishwavani correspondent from Manvi taluk, Anandaswamy Hiremath, asking if organizing the event was the unitlateral decision of Bettadoor, was published in the newspaper on January 17, 2018, reminisced Potnal, adding that the information was false.
He added that Vishwavani also published a report on March 3, 2018, alleging that the Parishat had not submitted account sheets but was extorting funds.
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike District President Ashok Kumar Jain had supported the news published by Vishwavani, due to which, Bettadoor was severely upset and filed the defamation case against the editor of the journal, said the advocate.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
