Karnataka Chief Minister D. K.

Shivakumar, Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and others offer tributes to the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari Devi placed in the golden howdah (ambari) mounted on elephant Prashantha during the launch of the Jamboo Savari at Mysuru Palace on October 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI 1.

Mysuru Dasara: Karnataka CM orders probe into Cabinet colleagues being stopped by police at pooja enclosureChief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has directed Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to conduct an inquiry and submit a report on police officers restricting some Ministers from entering the venue during the Nandidhwaja Pooja held near the North Gate of Mysuru palace on October 21.

H.C. Balakrishna, P.M.

Narendraswamy, and K.S. Basavantappa were the Ministers who were stopped.“It is evident that the officials acted high-handedly by restricting the Ministers.

I personally intervened immediately to facilitate the Ministers’ entry. However, such irresponsibility from officials cannot be tolerated.

Therefore, I have ordered the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry into who is responsible for this, and submit a report,” the Chief Minister stated.The incident had drawn criticism, with the opposition BJP alleging caste prejudice. Narendraswamy and Basavantappa belong to the Dalit community.

Yet another Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, also a Dalit, was stopped, but was allowed to go in after the Chief Minister intervened.2. Karnataka government to outsource regulatory functions in three departmentsOwing to staff shortage, the Karnataka government has decided to outsource regulatory functions, like inspections, verification, and certifications, in three critical departments to private firms.

These include Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety and Health (Labour), Food Safety and Drug Administration (Health and Family Welfare), and Legal Metrology (Food and Civil Supplies). This comes close on the heels of concerns over the Food Safety and Drug Administration department being overwhelmed by the sheer number of establishments it has to inspect.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U. T.

Khader had mooted the idea of deploying citizens and retired officials from the department at the taluk level to act as force multipliers. 3.

Karnataka plans 200 cochlear implants for children with hearing lossKarnataka has planned 200 additional cochlear implants for children with severe to profound hearing loss in 2026-27 under ‘Aalisu Kanda’, being implemented as part of the Shravan Dosh Mukta Abhiyan. The programme is aimed at helping eligible children with hearing impairment develop speech, language, and communication skills through cochlear implant surgery and post-operative rehabilitation.A total of 575 cochlear implant surgeries were performed under the programme during the financial year 2025-26, according to details provided by the department.

For the current financial year, the department has planned the procurement and distribution of 200 additional implants to ensure that eligible children can undergo surgery without delay.4. Anthropic PB admits to having an Indian subsidiary, contradicts earlier stand in courtA legal dispute over the use of the name ‘Anthropic’ has taken a new turn after US-based AI company Anthropic PBC acknowledged in the Belagavi Commercial Court that a wholly owned subsidiary operates in India.Belagavi-based Anthropic Softwares Private Limited has claimed to have registered the name of the company and brand much before the US-based firm, and has challenged the use of the company’s name by the American entity.“In a written statement filed in the court, the company stated that Irina Ghose is the managing director of the India entity.

This development raises questions about corporate conduct and the positions taken during the proceedings,” said Mohammad Ayyaz Mulla, Managing Director of Belagavi-based Anthropic Softwares Private Limited.5. FIR over AI-generated video depicting bomb blast at Vidhana Soudha in BengaluruThe Vidhana Soudha police have booked an unidentified person for allegedly uploading an AI-generated video depicting a bomb blast at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Instagram.

The incident came to light when the police team monitoring social media found the post on October 20, according to the FIR.According to the FIR filed on October 20, the video was uploaded by Instagram user ‘jnx__king__h_g’ with the caption ‘Vidhanasabha Uda Diya Bam se’. The unidentified person allegedly created the video using artificial intelligence (AI), edited it to depict an explosion, and uploaded it on Instagram.

Published - October 22, 2026 06:46 pm IST