The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday stayed for four weeks the criminal proceedings against Karthik Gowda, son of Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, based on a charge sheet filed against him in connection with a complaint by a Kannada film actor. Justice Rathnakala passed the interim order on a petition filed by Mr. Karthik questioning the charge sheet, filed against him under Section 417 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, by the R.T. Nagar police on September 18. The actor had complained that Karthik had raped her. A family court had dismissed her plea for declaration that she was the legally wedded wife of Karthik for lack of evidence.
Speed governors
The High Court on Wednesday ordered issue of notice to the State government on a PIL petition, which is seeking direction for effective implementation of the August 11, 2015, notification issued by the State for installing speed limiting devices (speed governors) for certain classes of commercial vehicles (except three-wheelers) that are registered prior to October 1, 2015.
In his petition, Y.N. Nanjappa, had pointed out that effective implementation of the notification is essential to achieve the object of limiting speed of such vehicles to bring down fatal accidents.
The government has fixed April 1, 2016, as deadline to fit speed governors for the vehicles registered before October 1. The petitioner, a retired HAL employee, lost his 20-year-old-son in a road accident in the city in 1996, and has been fighting for installation of speed governors for several years.
