District Judge Dharmesh Sharma convicted Sengar of rape under the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act for the offence of a public servant committing penetrative sexual assault against a child .

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Sharma, however, acquitted co-accused Shashi Singh of all charges. Sharma pronouncing the verdict, rapped the CBI for the “inordinate delay in the case”,

.  The court will hear arguments on quantum of sentence on Tuesday.

The survivor was kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor, the court ruled.  The trial in the high profile case was held in-camera after the Supreme Court transferred the matter from Unnao to the National Capital.

The court also rejected the defence objections that the crime was reported much later and that it was orchestrated by the survivor’s uncle. The court observed that the survivor did not “utter any word” in view of the threat to her life and her family.

The court had on 9 August framed charges against Sengar and Singh under sections 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel for marriage), 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The judge heard the case on a day-to-day basis from 5 August after it was transferred to Delhi from a court in Lucknow on Supreme Court’s directions.

A special court was also held at AIIMS hospital in Delhi to record the statement of the rape survivor, who was admitted there after she was air-lifted from a hospital in Lucknow.

The woman and her family is provided CRPF security as per the apex court’s orders. They have now been shifted to a rented accommodation in the national capital with the assistance of the Delhi Commission for Women .

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in a dramatic turn of events, local media reports claim Ajit Pawar resigns as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Now BJP  decided that Devendra Fadnavis will also resign from the post as bjp failed to gather majority mark .

BJP CORE GROUP met in dehli and decided that fadnavis don’t have numbers so better it to resign. SC ordered fadnavis to prove majority within 24 hours .

Meanwhile MLAs of NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress to hold a joint meeting at 5 pm today to elect the leader of their alliance. The combine had on Saturday night filed a petition seeking quashing of the Maharashtra governor’s decision and demanded an immediate floor test to avoid “further horse trading”. The three parties also sought a direction to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite them to form government under the leadership of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying they have the support of more than 144 MLAs.

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Yediyurappa, who faced opposition ire for delaying the appointment of ministers — especially in the wake of floods — had proposed the names of 17 MLAs, including independent lawmaker H Nagesh and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, to Governor Vajubhai Vala. governor administrated oath to new minister today .

The chief minister ran a “one-man” cabinet for over 20 days and decided to appoint more ministers after go-ahead from BJP chief Amit Shah. ”

The ministers include former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, two ex-deputy chief ministers — KS Eshwarappa and R Ashoka — Independent MLA H Nagesh and Laxman Sangappa Savadi, who is not a member of the Assembly or Council, and MLC Kota Srinivas Poojari. Others sworn in were: Govind M Karajol, Ashwath Narayan CN, B Sreeramulu, S Suresh Kumar, V Somanna, CT Ravi, Basavaraj Bommai, JC Madhu Swamy, CC Patil, Prabhu Chauhan and Shashikala Jolle Annasaheb, who is the only woman Cabinet Minister.

Yediyurappa had a tightrope to walk during the cabinet expansion as he had to craft a fine caste and regional balance, in view of large number of aspirants, sources said.

However, with no decision yet by the Supreme Court on 17 disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, whose resignation from the Assembly paved the way for the BJP to gain power, the chief minister has no immediate compulsion to accommodate them.

Amid pressure from within, opposition parties, the Congress and JD(S) too had hit out at the BJP over the delay in cabinet expansion, and had raised questions about the government’s “existence”. The Congress had even said that Yediyurappa’s one-man cabinet administration “resembled President’s rule.”

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The move brings down the majority mark in the assembly within the reach of the newly formed BJP government, which is expected to face a trust vote in the state assembly today.

On Thursday, the Speaker had disqualified three mla. The disqualifications bring down the strength of the House to 208, and the majority mark slides to 105 – a number the BJP currently has.

Mr Ramesh, whose office extends till a new Speaker is chosen, said he would not resign. “I will do my duty,” he said.

All the lawmakers have been disqualified from the assembly till the end of its term, which calls for by-elections in all 16 constituencies.

Congress’s Siddaramaiah tweeted: “I welcome the decision of speaker to disqualify 14 MLAs. This honest decision of speaker will send strong signals for all the representatives in the country who might fall for @BJP4India’s trap.”

“This is a bold and great move by the speaker of Karnataka Legislative assembly. This should be a lesson for all greedy & selfish politicians. Acting against the Constitution of India comes with a price,” the JDS said in a tweet.

The BJP had staked claim to power after the 14-month-old coalition government of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy failed the trust vote last week. The coalition could scrape up only 99 votes against the BJP’s 105.

The BJP moved swiftly after the Speaker disqualified three lawmakers on Thursday, staking claim to form government and pushing for a trust vote on Monday. State BJP chief BS Yediyurappa (who also changed his name), has taken charge of the government as the Chief Minister for the fourth time.

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Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Kumar said that the resignation by the three MLAs — Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathalli and R Shankar — were “not voluntary and genuine”. As a result, he proceeded to disqualify them under the anti-defection law with immediate effect till the end of the term of the current House in 2023.

The Speaker made it clear that Jarkiholi, Kumatalli and Shankar, disqualified under the anti-defection law, will be unable to contest or get elected till the end of the term of the present House.

“They have violated the provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) and therefore are disqualified,” he said, adding that they cease to be members from “this day” till the expiry of the current assembly in 2023.

Kumar said he would decide on both the matter of resignations and disqualification pleas pending before him in respect of the 14 other MLAs “in the next couple of days”, which may prolong the political turmoil and have a bearing on government formation.

The 14-month-old Congress-JDS coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy collapsed on Tuesday after losing the vote of confidence in the Assembly, bringing to an end the three-week long power struggle triggered by the raft of resignations.

He said that resignation was a “respectable terminology” while disqualification was “admonishing,” emphasising that the anti-defection law could not be used as a “monstrous law”.

“No by-election…nothing will work. This (Speaker’s office) is a quasi-judicial body,” Kumar said, adding, “I know these matters will go to the court.” On the remaining 14 cases, he said he is “holding them back” and it would require a “couple of days” for him to give his verdict.

Welcoming the ruling, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Dinesh Gundu Rao called it a “victory of democracy.”

Govt formation still unclear

Kumar said he first decided on the resignation, rejecting them as they were not voluntary and genuine “based on circumstances” and thereafter dealt with disqualification after considering “evidences and other orders”.

Asked if the same yardstick would be used against other rebel MLAs, he said, “Wait and see.”

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The BJP showed no hurry to stake claim to form the next government . party keepping eye on  the number game  with both the resignations of rebel Congress and JDS MLAs and the pleas for their disqualification still pending with Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.

The 14-month old Congress-JDS government collapsed on Tuesday after losing the confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy in the Assembly after a struggle for power for three weeks, with several political twists and turns and a legal battle following the resignation of 15 rebel MLAs.

jagadish Shettar, BJP, in Delhi said We met Amit Shah & JP Nadda regarding the political scenario in #Karnataka, formation of BJP govt there & steps to be taken. They want to discuss again  then they will take a final decision in the Parliamentary Board meeting.

meanwhile The counsel for lawmakers R Shankar and H Nagesh had told a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the MLAs wanted to withdraw the petition to instruct Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar to conduct the floor test “forthwith”,  as it had taken place .

Supreme Court allows the two Karnataka independent MLAs to withdraw their petition, after HD Kumaraswamy lost the trust vote in Karnataka Assembly and tendered his resignation.

If the Congress and JD(S) rebels’ disqualification petition is accepted by Assembly Speaker  KR Ramesh Kumar, the strength of the House will come down to 205 from 224, and the BJP will get through in the trust vote with 105 MLAs of its own.

If the Speaker does not decide on their disqualification for some more time, the BJP won’t be able to prove the majority as the required number is 112 or 113. Even if they manage, the government will be shaky.

The state BJP leaders say that the party high command is treading cautiously because the disqualification petition of 15 rebel Congress and JDS MLAs pending.

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After multiple exits over the past two weeks, the HD Kumraswamy-led coalition lost a test of strength in the assembly, managing only 99 votes compared to the BJP’s 105.

“One day the BJP will discover that everything cannot be bought, everyone cannot be bullied and every lie is eventually exposed,” Priyanka Gandhi tweeted last night.

“Until then I suppose, the citizens of our country will have to endure their unbridled corruption, the systematic dismantling of institutions that protect the people’s interests and the weakening of a democracy that took decades of toil and sacrifice to build,” the 47-year-old said in another tweet.

BS Yeddyurappa is set to become Karnataka Chief Minister for the fourth time. Twenty lawmakers did not attend the floor test in the 225-member Karnataka assembly. Among them were 16 rebels who firmly refused to back down on their resignations.

The Congress has accused the BJP of engineering the coalition’s fall by inducing lawmakers with money. “The sabotage of a duly-elected government in Karnataka carried out by the BJP is one of the most heinous and subversive instances of blatant political horse tradings the country has ever witnessed,”  a statement by senior Congress leader KC Venugopal.

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The MLAs mentioned their application before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta Monday seeking impleadment as parties to the pending plea on which it was ordered that the speaker would not take any decision till Tuesday on the resignations and disqualifications.

The top court further criticises the speaker for not being able to take a decision on the resignation. “Speaker reminds us of our constitutional duty but he doesn’t decide. He tells us he will take his own time.

The top court also pulls up the Speaker saying, “What has he done since July 6 when the resignations were given. (The) Speaker didn’t do anything until they (the rebel MLAs) came to this Court.”

The Supreme Court, however, argues against Abhishek Singhvi, who is representing the Karnataka speaker, saying that there is no requirement that a member has to be physically present in order to resign. “They can send letters too.”

Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi appearing on behalf of Karnataka Speaker argues that disqualification has to be recognised since the resignations were physically presented later. “All cases of physical presentation before the Speaker are from as late as July 11 and not before that. And four out of these MLAs haven’t physically presented themselves till date.”

Mukul Rohatgi says that the speaker’s actions aren’t immune from judicial review in matters of resignations. “The only immunity is with respect to business inside the House.”

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi contests the Supreme Court’s observations citing a previous case in the Kerala High Court wherein an MLA was allowed to resign even when his disqualification was pending since much before.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi says that the top court can’t decide if Speaker should decide on resignation or disqualification of MLAs first.

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“I have confidence in all our MLAs. They have been elected from Congress and they have been there for a long period. They have fought like tigers in their domain. I think some good gesture will prevail,” the Congress’  shivkumar told

“The law is so clear that they can’t vote against the Confidence Motion. Our MLAs are also well-equipped with law. If they vote against Confidence Motion, they’ll lose their membership. They won’t let down the party,” he said.

Mr Shivakumar’s comment comes after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy declared he would seek a trust vote and asked the Speaker to “fix a time”.

The Karnataka coalition crisis has seen, so far, seen the resignation of 16 legislators and two independents. If these are accepted, the coalition strength drops from 118 to 100 and will bring the majority mark in the assembly from 113 to 105. The BJP has 107, with the support of the two independents, will emerge as the majority alliance.

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