Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly descended into chaos on Friday, March 21, after Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLAs staged a dramatic protest against the passage of the 4% Muslim Quota Bill. Opposition members climbed onto the podium and threw papers at Speaker UT Khader, forcing marshals to step in and remove them from the House.

The bill, which grants a 4% reservation to Muslims in public contracts, was passed despite the uproar, according to a report by media. The BJP strongly opposed the move, calling it “unconstitutional” and vowing to challenge it legally. Led by Opposition Leader R Ashoka, BJP legislators shouted slogans against the government, accusing it of appeasement.

Earlier, BJP MLAs staged a protest from the well of the House, demanding a judicial probe into an alleged honey trap attempt on a minister, even as the CM delivered his response to the budget discussion.

BJP MLA Bharath Shetty criticised the government, stating, “Instead of addressing the honey trap scam, the CM prioritised passing the 4% Muslim quota bill, which is why we protested. It was government MLAs who tore papers and threw books at us; we did not harm anyone.”

The chaos erupted while Siddaramaiah was addressing the House and continued despite his reassurances. Defending his government, he stated there was no attempt to shield anyone. “It is the government’s responsibility to protect anyone in the case. According to the law, the guilty should be punished… There is no question of protecting anyone in the case,” he said, as per a report by media.

A day earlier, Home Minister G Parameshwara had announced a high-level inquiry into an alleged honey trap attempt involving MLC Rajendra Rajanna, son of KN Rajanna.

About Karnataka Honey Trap Scandal

Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna claimed on Thursday, March 20 that at least 48 politicians, including state and national leaders from various parties, had fallen victim to a honey trap scheme. His statement came after BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal alleged that an attempt was made to trap Rajanna himself.

Rajanna urged Home Minister G Parameshwara to initiate an investigation into the matter. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka termed it the “biggest conspiracy against legislators”, warning that it was a deliberate attempt to target elected representatives with a hidden agenda.

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association strongly opposed the transfer of Justice Yashwant Verma by the Supreme Court Collegium after a stash of cash allegedly worth 15 crores was found at his Delhi residence following a fire incident.

Strongly objecting to the repatriation of Justice Verma, the Bar Association, in a letter to the Chief Justice and other judges of the Allahabad High Court, said that the Allahabad High Court is not a “trash bin” and raised concerns about the appointment process by the SC Collegium that has caused damage to “public faith in judiciary.”

“Today, we were taken aback that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has transferred Hon’ble Justice Yashwant Verma back to Allahabad High Court on the ground of his involvement in corruption wherein a sum of Rs. 15 crores has been found in his bungalow by the fire department. Newspapers have reported this fact on the front page,” the lawyers group said.

Questioning the decision of the SC Collegium, the lawyers group said, “This decision of the collegium of the Supreme Court raises a serious question as to whether the Allahabad High Court is a trash bin? This matter becomes important when we examine the current situation wherein the Allahabad High Court is short of hon’ble judges and despite the continuous problems, new judges have not been appointed for many years. It is also of grave concern that while appointing judges by elevating members of the Bar, the Bar was never consulted. Consideration of eligibility appears to be not up to the mark.”

“Something is lacking which has resulted in corruption and consequently, great damage has been caused to the ‘public faith in judiciary,'” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court has also initiated an In-House inquiry against Justice Yashwant Verma, as per reports.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, March 21: Amid the clamour for the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has reached Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to inspect Khultabad where the tomb is situated and was keeping a close vigil on suspicious movements.

This comes after Nagpur was rocked by violence on March 17 night over the issue. The NIA team also visited the adjoining Parbhani, Jalna and Nanded districts in Marathwada, and Buldhana in Vidarbha to monitor suspicious movements there. The team has reportedly sought the assistance of the state Anti-Terrorist Squad.

Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has put up tin sheets on two sides of the 18th-century structure. It was done three days ago by the district administration after District Collector Dilip Swami and Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod visited the grave. Aurangzeb’s grave is protected by ASI as a ‘Monument of National Importance’.

The Nagpur police have registered a sedition case against Fahim Khan, the mastermind of the March 17 violence, and five others.

The Nagpur Cyber Crime Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Lohit Matani said, “A case of sedition has been registered against six persons, including Fahim Khan. Some people supported the violence against the police and praised it. The number may increase further. Some comments were made while supporting this attack, which further fuelled the riots. A case of sedition has been registered against the people who made such comments.“

He said that more than 300 social media accounts have been investigated in connection with the riots that broke out in Nagpur. Out of these, 140 accounts have been found to have objectionable posts and videos.

The DCP added that the process of registering a case against all of them is underway.

Further, Maharashtra Cyber, a nodal agency for cybersecurity and cybercrime enforcement, has initiated action against social medical accounts spreading inflammatory content. Maharashtra Cyber, in coordination with the Nagpur City Cyber Police Station, has identified multiple social media accounts engaged in disseminating objectionable content concerning the recent riots in Nagpur.

“More than 140 instances of objectionable content across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube have been identified and reported. In response, notices under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 have been issued to facilitate the immediate takedown of such content. Additionally, notices under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 have been issued to uncover the real identities of the individuals operating these accounts. Strict legal action will be taken against those responsible for spreading such provocative content,” said the press release issued late Wednesday night by the office of the Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra State Cyber Department.