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More than two months after 18 BJP MLAs were suspended from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for six months, Speaker U T Khader on Sunday said their suspension has been revoked.
The decision was announced by Mr Khader after a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil.
In an unprecedented move, 18 BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the assembly on March 21 for showing “indiscipline” and “disrespecting” the Speaker, and were forcefully evicted from the House by the marshals as they refused to leave.
Mr Khader said, “Though I proposed the suspension, the House gave its approval through a resolution. So, today the leader of the House and Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Law Minister and Leader of the Opposition discussed with me. It has been decided to revoke the suspension and the conditions that were specified, and to allow them to function as legislators.”
Speaking to reporters, he said, “The suspension has been revoked happily. There are no conditions. Those legislators are our friends and not enemies, the incident had happened in a fit of the moment. To ensure that such incidents don’t repeat, I too had to take strict action.”
He further said the legislators realised their mistake and they also had the understanding that they may not be able to attend legislative committee meetings and official tours. He said in his capacity as the Speaker, it is his duty to protect the respect of MLAs.
“I’m confident that they will not repeat such a behaviour. With that faith in them, I have revoked the suspension,” he said, adding the decision will be ratified by the House during the next session.
The incident leading to suspension had occurred on the last day of the assembly’s budget session; following the massive protest by BJP MLAs against 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts and demanding a judicial probe into alleged “honey-trap” attempt against Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna.
During the protest inside the assembly that day, some BJP legislators climbed onto the podium and surrounded the Speaker’s chair; few MLAs hurled papers at the Speaker and marshals had to forcefully evict the BJP MLAs who had surrounded the Speaker’s chair.
Noting that it has been two months since the suspension, the Speaker said all legislators expressed regret about the incident and they said they did not intend to show any disrespect to the chair.
He said Ashoka too had contacted him several times on this issue and submitted a letter expressing regret and assured that such incidents would not get repeated.
“He (Ashoka) had requested to reconsider the decision aimed at allowing the legislators to perform their duties. He had also spoken to the Chief Minister and the Law Minister in this regard. Also the Governor and Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Shobha Karandlaje and other senior leaders had contacted or communicated to me in this regard,” Khader said.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had last month written to the chief minister and the Speaker to consider the request to revoke the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs positively, and to take necessary steps in this regard.
The suspended MLAs were BJP chief whip Doddanagouda Patil, former Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan, S R Vishwanath, B A Basavaraju, M R Patil, Channabasappa, B Suresh Gowda, Umanath Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Dr Shailendra Beldale, C K Ramamurthy, Yashpal Suvarna, B P Harish, Bharath Shetty, Dheeraj Muniraju, Chandru Lamani, Muniratna and Basavaraj Mattimud.
When asked whether the suspension was revoked fearing a setback if they go to court, Khader said there is no need to discuss such things, and that the Speaker has certain powers. “When the situation comes, let’s discuss it. Two months of time was there, no one (MLAs) has gone anywhere,” he said.
Responding to a question whether governor’s intervention and BJP’s plans to utilise the suspension during the upcoming session led to the decision to revoke it, the Speaker said, “I don’t want to discuss it. No one can directly interfere in the Speaker’s decision. Suggestions and requests can be made. I have positively taken the suggestions made.” Later, Ashoka in a post on ‘X’ thanked Speaker Khader for revoking the suspension of 18 MLAs.
“On this occasion, I congratulate all the 18 MLAs and party leaders who have cooperated with patience, restraint and discipline in this struggle for the last two months to restore the rights of the MLAs,” he posted on ‘X’.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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PM Modi spoke on Operation Sindoor, which targeted multiple terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after a deadly attack in Pahalgam, and praised the precision of Indian armed forces.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation through his monthly radio programme “Mann Ki Baat” for the first time since “Operation Sindoor” and showed the pictures of the terror sites that were destroyed by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
India, after finding cross-border links to the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack, launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and destroyed multiple camps of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen. “Sindoor”, a Hindi word for vermilion, is a red powder that Hindu women put on the forehead as a sign of marriage.
In the overnight attack, the Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on four terrorist camps in Pakistan and five in PoK.
Praising the “extraordinary” precision with which Indian forces attacked the terrorist infrastructure across the border, PM Modi showed the sites that were destroyed in PoK – the Gulpur and Abbas camps in Kotli and the Barnala camp in Bhimber.
While the Gulpur camp was the base for Lashkar terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Poonch, the Abbas camp was known as the nerve centre for the training of suicide bombers of the LeT.
Barnala camp was used for providing training to terrorists in weapon handling, IED making and jungle survival techniques.
PM Modi said the Operation Sindoor has “infused new confidence and energy” into the global fight against terrorism.
“Operation Sindoor is the picture of our resolve, courage, and a changing India,” he said.
Sharing this month’s #MannKiBaat. Do tune in! https://t.co/vYQSKQr48T
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 25, 2025
He said the operation, which was carried out from 1:05 AM to 1:30 AM, was not a one-off military action, but a reflection of a changing and resolute India.
PM Modi said the Operation Sindoor was a turning point in the global fight against terror and described it as a symbol of India’s growing strength and clarity of purpose.
“Today the entire country is united against terrorism, filled with anger and determination,” he said.
He credited India’s home-grown defence capabilities for the mission’s success, following the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
“This was the ultimate bravery of our soldiers, backed by the power of weapons, equipment, and technology made in India,” the Prime Minister said.
The Indian armed forces struck nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during Operation Sindoor, which was launched after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam left 26 people dead on April 22.
One of the main targets was the Markaz Subhan camp in Bahawalpur, which was the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad. It was used for recruitment, training and indoctrinating JeM terrorists.
India also destroyed the Markaz Taiba camp in Muridke, which was the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Terrorists trained there were also associated with many attacks in India, including the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
The other camps that were struck were – the Sarjal and Mehmoona Joya camps in Sialkot, the Syedna Belal camp and the Sawai Nala camp in Muzaffarabad.
After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan launched a massive missile and drone attack, but the threats were thwarted.
In retaliation, Indian forces struck airfields in Pakistan. A ceasefire on May 10 ended the hostilities.
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Prime Minister Modi urged states to collaborate for a developed India.
Opposition chief ministers raised concerns about resource sharing.
Tamil Nadu’s chief minister called for increased funds and tax revenue share.
The Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday, in which the Prime Minister urged all states to work together towards the goal of a developed India, also saw some opposition chief ministers raise issues affecting their states, with their main grievances boiling down to the sharing of resources.
While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin pushed for the Centre to share more funds with states, his Punjab counterpart argued that his state had no water to share with Haryana.
Mr Stalin, whose government has been locked in a face-off with the BJP-led Centre over the three-language clause in the National Education Policy and has approached the Supreme Court claiming that over Rs 2,000 crore was being withheld from the state because of that, urged the Union government “extend non-discriminatory cooperation” to all states, including Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at the 10th Governing Council of the Niti Aayog, the DMK chief said, “It is not ideal for states in a federal democracy like India to struggle, argue, or litigate to receive the funds rightfully due to them. It hinders the development of both the state and the country.”
Making a case for the states’ share of divisible tax revenue to be increased to 50%, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister pointed out that the 15th Finance Commission had recommended that 41% of divisible tax revenue be shared with states. Over the past four years, he claimed, only 33.16% of the Union Government’s gross tax revenue had been shared.
“Meanwhile, the share of expenditure expected from state governments in centrally sponsored schemes continues to rise, which further strains the finances of states like Tamil Nadu. On the one hand, reduced tax devolution from the Union affects state finances. On the other hand, higher contributions required for central schemes impose additional burdens,” he said.
Proposing that the states’ share be increased to 50%, the DMK chief urged the Centre to seriously consider the demand. He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make India a developed country and achieve a $30 trillion economy by 2047.
Yamuna Water
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, whose government is in a dispute with Haryana over the sharing of water from the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, emphasised at the meeting that his state is facing a shortage and has no water to give.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader argued that, given the situation in Punjab, a Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal should be considered for construction instead of the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal.
According to a statement, the chief minister said the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins. He also asserted that Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of Yamuna’s water as a pact under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project – signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954 – which had entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna’s water.
The agreement did not specify the area to be irrigated by Yamuna, he said, adding that, before the reorganisation, the Yamuna, like the Ravi and Beas, flowed through Punjab.
He pointed out that while apportioning the river water between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna was not considered, whereas the waters of the Ravi and Beas were.
Citing a 1972 report by the centrally-constituted Irrigation Commission, Mr Mann said that it states that Punjab (post-1966, after its reorganisation) falls in the Yamuna River Basin, and therefore, if Haryana has a claim over the waters of Ravi and Beas rivers, Punjab should also have an equal claim on Yamuna’s water.
The Niti Aayog meeting was attended by most chief ministers, barring West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Puducherry’s N Rangasamy and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Punjab Police inspector Ronnie Singh Salh in connection with the assault case of Army Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath in Patiala more than two months ago.
Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath had accused 12 Punjab Police personnel of assaulting him and his son over a parking dispute in Patiala outside a dhaba in March.
Bath had then alleged that the assailants — four inspector-rank officers of Punjab Police and their armed subordinates — attacked him and his son without provocation, snatched his ID card and mobile phone, and threatened him with a “fake encounter” — all in public view and under CCTV camera coverage. The colonel suffered a broken arm, while his son had a cut on his head in the incident.
“This vile, uncivilised, pitiless and brutal way is not the manner in which a police force ought to behave with its people, anywhere, and especially, in a democratic country like ours,” Justice Anoop Chitkara observed in his order.
This horrific, “gut-wrenching incident” showcases the complete misuse of police power by these officers, he said.
“…Even if it is hypothetically assumed that the victims had wrongfully parked their car on the roadside, still the job of a law enforcement officer is to issue a challan (ticket) to that motor vehicle which has violated any such law.
“It is not the job of any trained law enforcer, skilled in the efficient use of force continuum to mete out unmerciful, furious beatings to a common man on the drop of the hat and disrespect civilians, wielding their authority to disregard and disrupt law and order themselves,” Justice Chitkara observed.
It appears that this was an unfortunate case of gross misuse of emergency powers under the Police Act, the order reads.
The judge said in his order that the prime duty of the police is not to instil fear in the minds of public using unwarranted force but to secure observance of law and order and to bring that goal to fruition, a prerequisite is adherence to and respect for legal framework itself.
“It is common knowledge that the majority of the people, especially the poor, downtrodden, and illiterate, have been deeply conditioned to be afraid of the police, harbouring a fear of them in the hearts of hearts. It is behaviour like that as seen in the present case, exhibited by a thin minority of officials, which inspires such fear and terror and is exemplary of incidents fuelling such narratives,” he observed.
On the contrary, the purpose of the police force is to impartially, without fear or favour, and without biases, take care of its people, with sensitivity, affection, empathy and kindness on the one hand; while being firm, honest and astute on the other, using reasonable force when it is inevitable to control hooliganism, he said.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had in April directed Chandigarh Police to probe the case and also issued directions to complete the investigation within four months. Colonel Bath had sought transfer of the probe to the CBI or another independent agency.
Punjab Police lodged a fresh FIR based on Colonel Bath’s statement a week after the alleged incident.
Justice Chitkara, in the order on Friday, observed that the complainant’s case is that, despite informing the police officers of his identity as a colonel in the Indian Army and showing his identity card, the police officers did not stop with their thrashing, which further highlights the high headedness, cruelty, arrogance and lack of any empathy of the police team.
“Such conduct of the police team in brutally beating an individual, even after being made aware that he was a serving member of the armed forces reflects the mindset of some of the police officers in this part of the country.
“We must not forget so early that this region is closer to a hostile border, has a history of militancy, and is still battling cross-border narco terrorism,” he observed.
The court also called for a thorough investigation by a senior-level officer not less than the rank of an SP into the delay in registration of an FIR on the victim’s complaint.
“…If the police officers display such brutality, high handedness and disrespect towards the members who belong to our esteemed defense services, such a reprehensible conduct would certainly be against the whole nation and may even imply that such officers would be happy to serve any ruler, which defies the entire purpose for which a democracy would give them so much power in the first place”.
There is no doubt that the petitioner and his accomplices were the aggressors who started assaulting the complainant and his son on a parking issue, simply because the manner in which they demanded complainant party’s car to be moved was objected to by the latter, the order says.
“A perusal of the bail petition and the documents attached prima facie points towards the petitioner’s involvement and does not make out a case for anticipatory bail. The impact of crime would also not justify anticipatory bail…”, the judge observed, rejecting the anticipatory bail plea
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The airspace over Andaman and Nicobar islands has been closed for today and tomorrow to likely conduct an inter-island missile test. As part of a Notice to Airmen or NOTAM, no aircraft will be allowed above the islands at any altitude.
The possible land attack missile test will come at a time peace prevails at the India-Pakistan border, but the government continues to assert that Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 with strikes on terror targets in the neighbouring countries, is on.
