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Renuka case: court reserves judgment

Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (third court) here on Tuesday heard the arguments of the prosecution in the case filed by Mayor Ganesh Hosbettu against Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury.

The court reserved the pronouncement of judgment until Wednesday.

The Mayor had taken exception to Ms. Chowdhury’s comments made in the wake of the growing vigilante attacks in the region. She had said that “Mangalore has been Talibanised.”

Mr. Hosbettu contended that the comments were malicious in nature and aimed at defaming the city.

Minister sees political conspiracy

Special Correspondent reports from New Delhi:

Ms. Chowdhury on Tuesday said the charge that she was making “provocative speeches” was part of a “political conspiracy” to divert attention from the “actual issue” of attacks on women by elements trying to impose fundamentalist ideologies.

They were trying to divert and dilute the actual issue and politicising it, she told reporters outside the Parliament House.

A criminal case was filed against her before a court in Mangalore on Monday by a group of people, including Mangalore Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu.

Maintaining that she was not yet aware of the case, Ms. Chowdhury said that instead of rectifying themselves, these “goondas and lumpen” elements came out of jail and made statements and that was accepted by the government.

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