M A I N   N E W S

Daya Nayak declared absconder

Mumbai, February 18
Encounter specialist, Sub-Inspector Daya Nayak has been declared an absconder after he failed to surrender before the police.

Nayak, whose anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Supreme Court yesterday, had to surrender before the police as per the orders of the Bombay High Court last week. However, after he did not surrender till this afternoon, the Crime Branch declared him an absconder, the police said here today. — TNS

Gowda expels son, 39 MLAs from party

New Delhi, February 18
Politics in Karnataka took a new twist today when JD (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda suspended Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and 39 other rebel MLAs from the party with immediate effect.

The announcement was made by party spokesman Kunwar Danish Ali at a hurriedly convened press conference here. Mr Ali also announced that the former Prime Minister had decided to withdraw his resignation as party president “to keep the party intact”. The spokesman said the decision to suspend the MLAs had been taken as they had violated the “accepted principles of the party”. — TNS