Bengaluru, Nov 14 (Agencies) : Karnataka Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, Tanveer Sait, has filed a criminal case against two journalists of a private television channels.

Raichur Police said that the TV9 journalists have been booked for “intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace” under Section 504 of the IPC. The Case has been filed against TV9 journalists Siddu Biradar and his cameraman Prashanth.

In the complaint, the minister has urged the police to take action against the accused journalists for demoralising and defaming him by telecasting such news.

He claims he was merely surfing through his WhatsApp messages.

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait was caught watching porn during Tipu Jayanti programme in Raichur on 10 November.

Tanveer Sait was one of the chief guests on the occasion of Tipu Jayanti event and was seated on the dais when he was caught off guard by media watching porn on his phone

Bengaluru: Tanveer controversy - CM decides to shift onus to high command

Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 14: It is learnt that chief minister, Siddaramaiah, who was facing a piquant situation relating to controversy arising out of viewing of sexually explicit material over cellphone by education minister, Tanveer Sait, during Tipu Jayanti celebration, has decided to leave the issue of taking a final decision on Sait's future to party high command. The chief minister, who collected all details relating to the contentious issue from the minister who visited him on Sunday, decided to send a report containing details provided by Sait and information about the incident to the central leadership of the party.

The chief minister is in a hurry to act as his own party had created an uproar in the assembly when three BJP ministers were caught on camera by media, viewing some objectionable scenes. The assembly session is due to begin at Belalgavi next week, and BJP leaders have announced their plans to raise this issue in the assembly. Therefore, a decision has to be taken fast if Congress is to avoid adverse fallout of this incident.

Sources close to Siddaramaiah said that he has decided to keep the fingers crossed and just obey the instructions coming from the party high command on the above issue. Tanveer Sait, who met both Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and the chief minster on Sunday, denied having viewed any porn on his cellphone. "During the period I was on the dais relating to Tipu Jayanti celebrations, I received some WhatsApp messages on my phone. There were some objectionable content in some of them. I just scrolled through them without downloading any of them. The media persons, who captured the scene in which I was scrolling the matter, have been repeatedly beaming the same portion and creating a feeling as if I was viewing them for long. I am prepared to subject myself to all kinds of scrutiny in this regard including testing my cellphone through any technology. As I have not committed any mistake, I should not be made a scapegoat," he is said to have pleaded with them.

Sources said that the chief minister advised the minister to be cautious when on the dais of any function,

It is said that some people close to the chief minster are pressurizing Siddaramaiah not to drop Tanveer Sait from the ministry in order to ensure victory for Congress candidate in the bypoll in Nanjangud constituency, necessitated by the resignation of former minister, Srinivas Prasad. They say that stripping Sait of the ministry might cost the party dearly as he wields considerable influence in the region. Sources say ministers, Dr H C Mahadevappa and M Mahadeva Prasad, both of whom are considered to be close confidantes of Siddaramaiah, are backing Tanveer Sait's retention.

These ministers feel that dropping of Tanveer Sait might give rise to a situation in which they may have to take a Muslim MLA suggested by opposition leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, into the ministry. The chief minister might not be comfortable with the candidate so chosen. Therefore, it would be better to retain Tanveer Sait and use his services fully for the Nanjangud bypoll, these ministers reportedly advised the chief minister.