(1) NDA’s Prajwal Revanna booked and absconds to Germany over sexual assault case
Over the past week, a massive sex scandal has rocked Karnataka, overshadowing the political discourse in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. In the thick of it all is Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, and sitting MP from Hassan, who is said to be involved in close to 3,000 video clips, photos and documents of alleged sexual assault and abuse against women.
The State government on April 27 announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged sex scandal. A pen drive with thousands of sex videos featuring multiple women, allegedly recorded by the politician himself, had been doing the rounds ahead of elections in the constituency.
With pressure building on an embarrassed JD(S), the party suspended Mr. Prajwal on April 30. On May 1, the Hassan MP — who had fled to Germany on April 27 morning — was served a notice by the SIT to appear for questioning within 24 hours. He is said to have sought seven days’ time to do so, through his lawyers.
The Gowda Family Tree
On May 3, Prajwal’s father and JD(S) leader H. D. Revanna was booked for kidnapping one of the alleged victims sexually assaulted by his son. The alleged victim had worked as a maid in the Revanna household for six years. A video of her being ‘raped’ by Prajwal is in circulation, police sources said.
His father H.D. Revanna, a former Minister and elder brother of Mr. Kumaraswamy, has run the party affairs in Hassan with an iron grip. Prajwal and his elder brother Sooraj Revanna, an MLC, have been part of the electioneering process of their father as well as their mother Bhavani Revanna, a former member of Hassan Zilla Panchayat. He was a toddler when his grandfather became the PM and his father became a Cabinet Minister, and a teenager when his uncle became the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2006.
(2) 123 of 1,352 candidates in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha polls are women, 18% have criminal cases
Only 9% of the 1,352 candidates contesting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections are women while 18% have declared criminal cases against themselves, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in a new report.
Among the 244 candidates with criminal records, five face charges related to murder while 24 have been booked in cases of attempted murder. The prevalence of criminal cases varies significantly across major political parties, with figures highlighting concerning trends among candidates from prominent parties such as the the BJP, Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
The report also highlighted the disparity in the candidates’ financial backgrounds, disclosing that 29% or 392 candidates are “crorepatis”, with the average assets per candidate standing at a substantial ₹5.66 crore.
The report also highlights gender disparity in candidate selection with only 9% or 123 women contesting the elections in the third phase.
(3) Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing: Three Indians arrested in Canada
Canadian Police on May 3 said they have arrested three Indians they suspect were part of the alleged hit squad that had killed Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all Indian nationals, residing in Edmonton have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Nijjar was a Khalistani separatist and he was wanted in India on various terror charges.
The police said that none of the suspects were known to them earlier and they were investigating their possible ties to the Indian government.
Canada is a “rule-of-law country” with a strong and independent justice system and a fundamental commitment to protect its citizens, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, a day after three Indian nationals were arrested.
The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, a Khalistan separatist.
India has dismissed Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated.” The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated India, which had designated Nijjar a “terrorist.”
After three Indian nationals were arrested in connection with the murder, Police in Canada said they had worked with US law enforcement agencies, without giving additional details. The police suggested more arrests might be coming.
(4) India’s April manufacturing PMI at 58.8
HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for April was recorded at 58.8, a slight dip from last month’s 59.1. A reading of over 50 signifies an expansion in economic activity levels and reading below 50 signifies shrinking activity. However, it was still the second-best improvement in operating conditions in three-and-a-half years.
The PMI headline figure is made of new orders, output, employment, Suppliers’ Delivery Times, and Stocks of Purchases. New orders registered growth at the second-strongest pace in almost 40 months. Rising domestic demand aided this growth.
Employment from firms, even though moderate, was the quickest since September 2023. Stocks improved to a 19-year high due to anticipation of demand. Indian goods producers forecast a higher output growth for the year ahead, the survey said.
(5) India’s T20 World Cup squad
Yuzvendra Chahal and Shivam Dube were named in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The team, announced by BCCI on Tuesday, will be led by Rohit Sharma. Hardik Pandya serves as the vice-captain.
Leggie Chahal, ignored for India’s recent T20 assignments, was picked on the strength of good returns for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL season. Chahal is the only right-arm spinner in the squad, with southpaws Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav forming the rest of the spin attack. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are the specialist pacers.
The tournament marks the international comeback of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pant, who last donned the India cap in December 2022, was forced into a long layoff after suffering a car accident. The 26-year-old has proved his worth in IPL 2024, making vital contributions with the bat for Delhi Capitals (DC) and showing athleticism with the ’keeping gloves. RR captain and fan-favourite Sanju Samson is the second gloveman. Samson has shone bright for RR, batting at a strike-rate of 161.08 with an average of 77.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper K.L. Rahul and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Dinesh Karthik were among the notable omissions. Karthik had harboured hopes of making the bus, after finding good form as a finisher for RCB. Shubman Gill lost out on the opener slot to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill and lower-order batter Rinku Singh were named in the reserves. Rinku gave way to Dube, who has shown a penchant for big hits.
