'Embarrassed' AICF files police complaint after Chess Olympiad trophy goes missing
Chennai, Sep 21: An "embarrassed" All India Chess Federation (AICF) has filed a police complaint after a Chess Olympiad trophy its team won in the last edition of the tournament at home went missing from its office, forcing the sports body to arrange for a replica of the prized possession and tender an apology.
It is a rolling trophy, and the incident came at a time when the Indian men's team is closing in on the gold medal in the ongoing 45th edition of the Olympiad at Budapest.
AICF sources confirmed that the Gaprindashvili Trophy, given to the team with the best overall performance across open and women's divisions, has gone missing.
India was the last holder of the trophy, having won it here in 2022.
AICF vice-president Anil Kumar Raizada told PTI that the trophy has been missing for over a month and it came, after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) had asked for the trophy to be brought to Budapest.
"After we had received a request from FIDE for the trophy to be brought, we have been unable to trace it for over 30 days. As a result, we have filed an official police complaint, and an investigation will follow," he said.
A senior AICF official said that a "contingency plan is in place" and that "a replacement trophy" has already been ordered for the current edition.
"Yes, we tried to look for it all around following FIDE's request. However, we have been unable to locate it so far. It is indeed an embarrassing situation, and these things require utter responsibility," the senior official stated on the condition of anonymity.
"For now, a replacement trophy has been ordered. It won't be as unique as the original, but still, it will be close to the original one. We apologise for the mess."
The current edition of the Olympiad got underway on September 10 and is set to conclude on September 23.
A total of 197 teams representing 195 national federations are presently competing in the event.
For India, the open team consists of Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Harikrishna Pentala.
As for the women, the side includes Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
