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Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna NEARBY Can’t be pushed into a decision: Speaker SC likely to hear Ramesh Kumar meets 10 Karnataka rebel MLAs following the Supreme Court’s direction Ayodhya appeals Special Correspondent New Delhi/ Bengaluru Speculation as Election of Vardhan, Hours after the Supreme Hans challenged from July 25 Court on Thursday asked Minister meets NEW DELHI Karnataka Speaker K.R. Ra­ The election of Union BJP leader Seeks report from mediation panel Minister Harsh Vardhan, BJP mesh Kumar to meet 10 rebel MPs Hans Raj Hans and legislators from the Congress Krishnadas Rajagopal Special Correspondent NEW DELHI Meenakshi Lekhi to the Lok and the Janata Dal (Secular) Bengaluru Sabha was challenged before and take a decision on their A Constitution Bench, led the Delhi High Court on resignations, he held a meet­ The ongoing political drama by Chief Justice of India Ran­ Thursday on various grounds, ing with them. took a new twist with JD(S) jan Gogoi, on Thursday de­ including giving false However, Mr. Ramesh Ku­ leader and Minister Sa.Ra. cided to commence hearing information in their affidavits. mar insisted that he had a Mahesh being spotted with the Ayodhya title dispute ap­ The three separate petitions responsibility to understand BJP national general peals tentatively from July came up for hearing before whether the resignations secretary P. Muralidhar Rao 25 on a day­to­day basis in three judges. While notices were genuine and voluntary, and the party’s senior leader case a conclusion is were issued to Dr. Vardhan as prescribed in the Consti­ K.S. Eshwarappa at a reached, on the basis of a and Mr. Hans, the plea tution, and said the process government­run guesthouse mediation committee re­ against Ms. Lekhi’s election could not be rushed. “In the late on Thursday. port, that the talks with Hin­ has been listed for further current political situation, I While both parties and du and Muslim parties to hearing on August 18. have to enquire whether leaders, including Chief heal minds and hearts is ished the initial round and CITY Ī PAGE 2 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD they are voluntary. If I do not Minister H.D. making no headway. filed an interim status re­ do it, I would have commit­ Kumaraswamy, described it The Bench asked Justice port dated May 7 in the BJP MLA’s daughter ted a mistake,” he told jour­ as a “chance meeting”, the F.M.I. Kalifulla (retired), court, seeking more time. moves HC for protection nalists after the nearly hour­ incident set off speculation heading the court­appoint­ On July 9, however, an ap­ DELHI/LUCKNOW The daughter of a BJP long meeting with the rebel that there could be back­ ed mediation committee, to plication filed by Gopal legislator from U.P. on legislators, who flew to Ben­ Rush hour: Byrathi Basavaraj, one of the rebel MLAs, rushing to the Speaker’s chamber in room negotiations between submit the report on the Singh Visharad, an original Thursday sought protection galuru from Mumbai and Bengaluru on Thursday to meet the 6 p.m. deadline set by the Supreme Court. the BJP and the JD(S), even progress made so far by July claimant to the disputed site from the Allahabad High rushed to his chamber just while the latter appeared to 18, the next date of hearing. who filed a title suit way Court, alleging a threat to her after 6 p.m, following the he said, adding that he could gislators,” he said. Speaker said the court could be fighting tooth­and­nail to The court’s order in a way back in 1950 through his life from her father after her court order. not specify a time frame for a Earlier in the day, the Su­ not ask him to decide on the save the coalition jump­starts the Ayodhya survivor Rajendra Singh, marriage to a Dalit man.The final decision on the preme Court became the site resignation of the legislators government with the case. The committee had said the mediation was mak­ judge posted the next Article 190 resignations. of the latest face­off between in a particular manner. Mr. Congress. been granted time till Au­ ing no progress. hearing for July 15 since the Mr. Ramesh Kumar cited Ar­ Mr. Ramesh Kumar con­ the Speaker and the rebel le­ Ramesh Kumar said the or­ Sources said the JD(S) was gust 15 to engage in talks. Visharad asked the CJI to couple was not present in ticle 190 of the Constitution firmed that all the 10 fresh gislators. der hindered his probe exploring “Plan B”, given stop the mediation and start court. as the basis for his decision resignation letters tendered Hours after a Bench, led against the MLAs under the the precarious position of No headway: petitioner adjudication on the appeals. NORTH Ī PAGE 5 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD to follow the procedure to by the rebel legislators were by Chief Justice of India Ran­ anti­defection law. the coalition government. The immediate trigger for The appeals have been enquire whether the resigna­ in accordance with Rule 202 jan Gogoi, asked Mr. Ramesh However, the Chief Justice After visuals of the Thursday’s hearing is an ur­ pending in the court for the tions were genuine and vo­ of the Rules and Procedure Kumar to meet the 10 rebel of India said the Speaker’s meeting were aired on gent plea made by a clai­ past eight years. Visharad luntary. of Conduct of Business in the MLAs and take a decision on application would be heard television channels, Mr. mant to the disputed Ram­ said, “He is entitled to offer “I am not responsible for Assembly. He, however, said their resignations “forthwith on July 12. The court had Muralidhar Rao told The janmabhoomi­Babri Masjid worship without any ob­ it, nor am I connected with he had not given dates for or in the course of the re­ fixed the July 12 hearing to be Hindu that it was a “mere land that the mediation pro­ struction according to the the political instability in hearing to these legislators. maining part of the day”, the apprised of the Speaker’s de­ coincidence” and denied ceedings were making no rites and tenets of his reli­ Karnataka... I am not under “During the session, I will Speaker urged the court to cision on the resignations. that any politics was headway whatsoever. gion at the birthplace of anybody’s obligation. I am ask the Deputy Speaker to sit recall its order. discussed. The mediation commit­ Lord Shri Ram Chandra”. FRIDAY REVIEW Ī 8 PAGES obligated to the people of the in the chair during afternoon In an urgent application CONTINUED ON Ī PAGE 12 tee is in the thick of its se­ (TABLOID) State and the Constitution,” sessions to hear the rebel le­ filed in the afternoon, the ASSEMBLY SESSION Ī PAGE 8 JOINT PROTEST Ī PAGE 12 cond round of talks. It fin­ CONTINUED ON Ī PAGE 12 England dethrones Australia, roars into the final Centre redefines child porn, moots stiff penalties SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT a new definition for child ing a child which include Roy powers the hosts to victory after Woakes and Archer put the skids on the Aussies NEW DELHI pornography in its amend­ photographs, video, digital Watching, possessing or cir­ ments to the POCSO Act, or computer generated im­ K.C. Vijaya Kumar 32.1 overs. Openers Jason Roy fra Archer extracted tentative culating animations or car­ which is likely to be intro­ age indistinguishable from Birmingham (85) and Jonny Bairstow set a shots and the visitor’s deci­ toons that depict a minor en­ duced in Parliament next an actual child and an image England qualified for the frenzied pace through their sion to take first strike gaging in a sexually explicit week. created, adapted or modi­ World Cup final in emphatic 124­run partnership in 17.2 ov­ backfired. conduct could land you in The new definition reads, fied but appear to depict a fashion. In a lopsided semifi­ ers. Be it pace or spin, Roy Much hinged on former jail. “Any visual depiction of sex­ child.” nal here at Edgbaston on plundered five sixes and Aus­ captain Smith who, besides The Cabinet has approved ually explicit conduct involv­ DETAILS ON Ī PAGE 9 Thursday, Eoin Morgan’s men tralia’s hopes waned. Mitchell the England attack, had to defeated defending cham­ Starc, Nathan Lyon and Steve contend with an aggressive pion Australia by eight wick­ Smith were caned, and the re­ crowd booing him. Smith re­ ets with 107 deliveries to sultant momentum was mained oblivious to the pres­ spare. Yet to win cricket’s pre­ enough for the host to cruise sure and his 85, along with a mier trophy, England last despite the dismissals of Bair­ 103­run fourth­wicket stand played a World Cup final in stow and Roy. with Alex Carey, lent some the 1992 edition at Mel­ Earlier, the Australian in­ respectability to the Austra­ bourne, and will now take on nings suffered a crisis as skip­ lian total.