Case Registered Against MP, MLAs for Violating Prohibitory Orders in Udupi Kambala Ceremony
Udupi: A formal case has been registered at the Manipal Police Station against a Member of Parliament (MP), seven Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and numerous other individuals for allegedly contravening prohibitory orders issued by the District Magistrate in Udupi. The alleged violation occurred during a foundation stone laying ceremony for the Udupi Kambala pond, held at 80 Badagabettu village, within the jurisdiction of the Manipal police.
The complaint, filed by Udupi Tahsildar Gururaj, names a total of 38 individuals, including prominent political figures. Among those implicated are MLAs Gurme Suresh Shetty, Yashpal Suvarna, Sunil Kumar, Kiran Kumar Kodgi, Gururaj Gantihole, Harish Poonja, and Rajesh Nayak. Legislative Council member Dhananjaya Sarji, MP Kota Srinivas Poojary, and former MLA Lalaji R. Mendon have also been named in the case.
The extensive list of individuals booked includes Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde, Shilpa Suvarna (Kaup), Geethanjali Suvarna (Katapady), Nandalike Srikanth Bhat, Shubhakara Shetty (80 Badagabettu), Sandeep Shetty (80 Badagabettu), Jayananda Hegde (Bairampalli), Veena Shetty (Udupi), Saish Sudhakar Shetty (Perdoor), Belapu Deviprasad Shetty, Kuthyar Naveen Shetty, Srinidhi Hegde (Udupi), Harikrishna (Bantwal), Ravindra Madival (Karkala), Anthony D’Souza (Nakre), Vijay Kumar (Kanginmane, Hosmar), Shyamala Kunder (Hiriyadka), Lokesh Shetty (Karkala), Mohan Bhat (Hiriyadka), Dilesh Shetty (Kukkehalli), Shantaram Shetty (Rajeevnagar), Ravindra Nayak (Kukkudakatte, 80 Badagabettu), Gopal Krishna Mattu, Subhash Ballal (Katapady), Shivapunar (Hirebettu), and local activists Mohan Shetty (Kabyadi) and Krishna Kulal (Varvadi), among others.
The charges levied against the individuals are under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 329(3), and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Sections 37 and 109 of the Karnataka Police Act.
The Udupi district administration had previously announced plans to officially organize the Udupi Kambala, with the foundation stone laying ceremony scheduled for March 4, under the supervision of the District In-charge Minister. However, Kambala Committee President Gurme Suresh Shetty’s announcement of a separate foundation ceremony on February 28 reportedly instigated tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress.
In response to these developments and to maintain public order, Udupi District Collector Swaroopa T.K. issued prohibitory orders within the limits of 80 Badagabettu village, effective from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM on February 28. Despite the imposition of these orders, the foundation ceremony proceeded on Saturday, led by Kaup MLA Yashpal Suvarna, with the participation of seven MLAs from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, along with the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP. This prompted the Manipal police to register a case against the aforementioned individuals for the violation of prohibitory orders. The investigation is ongoing.