Athani MLA appears before Karnataka High Court
Bengaluru: Congress MLA from Athani Mahesh Kumthalli, who was reportedly missing, appeared before the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday and denied the allegations that he had been kidnapped or kept under confinement.
A lawyer had filed a habeas corpus before the High Court seeking directions to the police to produce the missing MLA before the court. He had also prayed that MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi be interrogated to secure the presence of Mr Kumthalli.
The lawyer, Pramod Dayanand Hiremani, had filed the complaint suspecting that the MLA had been kidnapped.
After Mr Kumthalli appeared before the court, the respondent lawyer asked the court to impose a heavy cost on the petitioner for filing a petition with baseless allegations and wasting court's time. The court adjourned the matter.
PIL over monkey fever
The high court has ordered notices to the state government following a petition filed in public interest, seeking directions for effective steps in preventing the spread of monkey fever in Shivamogga district and surrounding areas.