NEW DELHI: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has opposed the order prohibiting religious symbols in railway exam centers, stating that while checking religious items is acceptable, their removal is inappropriate.
Shivakumar emphasized that authorities can inspect religious symbols but shouldn’t require their removal.
“When it’s a religious thing like a ‘Mangalsutra’ or a ‘Janeu’ (sacred thread), they can check it if required, but removing them is not correct. We are clearly saying that any such religious symbols, earrings, mangalsutra, Janeu, or a hip band, they can check it. It is not wrong. But, in the past, there have been some issues where people kept a small device in their ears. It is not right. It (the order) must be taken back… I think that anything that creates anger among the people must be removed. I demand that such rules be removed,” said DK Shivakumar.
The Karnataka High Court on Saturday issued notices to the state government and Karnataka Examinations Authority following a Public Interest Litigation that alleged CET exam centers in Bidar, Shivamogga, and Dharwad districts forced candidates to remove their sacred threads.
Senior advocate S Sriranga, representing the petitioner Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasabha, informed the court that candidates were mistreated during the math exam on April 17.
The petition claimed that students who refused to remove their sacred threads were denied entry to examination halls, and sought a re-examination for affected candidates.
The advocate argued that KEA officials violated constitutional rights related to education, religious practice, and admission to educational institutions.
An FIR has been filed in the case following the PIL submission.
The petitioner has requested the court to establish clear guidelines for exam conduct and frisking procedures by KEA officials.
The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for June 9.

HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at five locations in Hyderabad in connection with land transactions related to the case involving senior IAS officer D Amoy Kumar.
Searches were carried out on accused individuals, including Munawar Khan, Khaderunnisa, and others named in the Maheswaram police station case. Locations in the old city of Hyderabad were among those searched.
The searches are part of the continuation of investigations that began after ED questioned D Amoy Kumar in October 2024. Kumar, currently serving in the animal husbandry department, was earlier the district collector of Rangareddy when the alleged land dispute took place.
While Kumar is not named as an accused, his role remains under scrutiny, particularly regarding the use of the Dharani portal and registration of properties under prohibitory categories.
The investigation stems from an FIR filed by Maheswaram police last year, based on a private complaint submitted by Dastagir Shareef, a resident of Mehdipatnam.
The complaint alleged fraudulent registration and mutation of a disputed property despite the land being notified under the 22-A prohibitory list of the Telangana Registration of Stamps Act.
The FIR names several accused, including Khaderunnisa, Mohammed Munawar Khan, RP Jyothi (MRO/joint sub-registrar of Maheswaram), Bobbili Damodar Reddy, Bobbili Viswanath Reddy, N Santosh Kumar, and Kondapally Sridhar Reddy.
The complainant alleged that the accused, in conspiracy with public servants, manipulated revenue records and issued illegal passbooks and sale deeds for land measuring 42 acres and 33 guntas in Nagaram village. ED is investigating the money laundering angle in the case, sources said.

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Police have identified 17 Pakistani nationals living in the city amid tensions following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir that killed 26 people.
These individuals have been issued exit permits to leave India in accordance with the central government’s directives that revoked visas for Pakistani nationals, except for long-term, diplomatic, and official visas, effective April 27.
The directive specifically targets Pakistani nationals who entered India on short-term and tourist visas following the deadly attack at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of tourists, including one Nepalese national.
Over the past three days, 537 Pakistani nationals have departed India through the Attari border after the short-term visa holders’ deadline expired on Sunday.
“A total of 850 Indian Nationals have returned to India in the past three days. On Sunday alone, 237 Pakistani nationals returned to their country, while 116 Indian nationals came back,” said Arun Pal, a protocol officer at the Attari Border.
In Delhi, the Intelligence Bureau has provided the police with a list of approximately 5,000 Pakistani nationals residing in the capital to ensure their departure.
The Foreign Regional Registration Office has shared this list with a special branch of the Delhi police, which has been distributed to relevant districts for verification and identification. Hindu Pakistani nationals with Long-term Visas are exempt from this directive.
The Pahalgam attack occurred around 2 pm at Baisaran meadow, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel.
The incident has triggered nationwide protests demanding stronger action against Pakistan.
The victims were brutally gunned down in what has become one of the most significant terrorist attacks in the Kashmir region in recent years.
The government’s response includes the immediate revocation of visas for Pakistani citizens, demonstrating heightened security measures following the attack.