Lingayat

The Congress leader's remarks were interpreted by the BJP as a bid to "demonise" the entire Lingayat community, the most decisive electoral constituent in the state even as Siddaramaiah clarified that the statement was about the current CM.

Kudala Sangama is an important pilgrimage of Lingayat sect, one the major dominant communities of Karnataka. The place has the Aikya Mantapa of the founder of the 12th century AD social reformer and the founder of Lingayat sect Basaveshwara. 

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for members of the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, said no interim order should be passed without allowing them to place their response to the petitions.

Upbeat about JD(S)' prospects in the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, HD Deve Gowda said it will set the tone for other state elections this year and the Parliamentary elections in 2024.

Lingayats are said to constitute about 17 per cent of Karnataka's population, and the community has dominance in as many as 100 out of total 224 constituencies, majority of these seats being in north Karnataka region.

Defending the decision to abolish the quota for Muslims, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there was no constitutional provision for religious minorities. 

Worked as BJP's district Convenor of Chikkamagaluru constituency, HD Thammaiah wanted a ticket to contest in the upcoming polls. A party worker for over 17 years, he has served in various capacities in the BJP, but never got the opportunity to contest elections.

Speaking to reporters, Ashoka said, "Today, we submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister to increase our reservation from four per cent to 12 per cent. Though our population is 16 per cent, we want 12 per cent reservation."

There are already 102 castes in the 2A category and they have been demanding the government not to include Panchamasalis in the classification as it would further reduce their chance of getting a reservation.

In her statement, the survivor told police that other girls told her the same story about the seer sexually harassing them. The survivor specifically mentioned a case in which a young woman went out to file a complaint. The pontiff and others found out; they caught her, raped her, and murdered her.

The DMK MP, who was accused of corruption, made these remarks on September 7 while addressing a function organised to commemorate Dravida Kazhagam head K Veeramani's 6 decades association with the outfit’s mouthpiece Viduthalai.

Earlier on Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state police have been given complete freedom to investigate the sexual abuse case involving Lingayat seer.

The Karnataka Lingayat seer arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting minor girls was sent to four-day police custody on Friday. Earlier today, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was shifted to Bengaluru after developing some health complications in jail.

Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was arrested by police after an interrogation shortly after his detention on Thursday, and proper procedures were followed later that night, as per the source. The case's investigation officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar, questioned the pontiff of one of the state's most prominent and influential Lingayat seminaries at an undisclosed location. 

Protests by Dalit and student organisations were seen in parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, demanding Shivakumar’s immediate arrest.  As one of the survivors is a Dalit, the seer was further accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.