HC stays probe against BJP leaders over protest against Priyank Kharge
Karnataka High Court Cautions Against Excessive Use of AI in Legal Practice Following Allegations of Fabricated Judgments.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued a stay on the investigation against BJP leaders, including Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and C.T. Ravi, in connection with a protest and controversial posters targeting Minister Priyank Kharge. The leaders were accused of defacing public property and disrupting traffic during a protest held in December last year.
The BJP leaders had approached the High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered by High Grounds Police Station and to cancel proceedings pending before the 42nd ACMM court (Special Court for People’s Representatives). In their criminal petition, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, C.T. Ravi, Ravikumar, Umesh Shetty, and eight others challenged the legality of the case filed against them.
Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar, who heard the petition, granted an interim stay on the investigation and issued notices to the High Grounds Police, adjourning further hearing to a later date. The case stems from a protest led by BJP leaders on December 31, 2024, at around 10 a.m. near Madhavanagar Junction. Demanding the resignation of Minister Priyank Kharge, the protestors allegedly gathered on the street, blocked traffic, and disrupted public movement.
The FIR alleges that the leaders and protestors unlawfully pasted posters on the wall of a public toilet at the junction. The posters read “Down with the Congress government that offers suicide and contract killing schemes,” referring mockingly to the government’s welfare programs. Police accused the protestors of defacing public property and spoiling the city’s aesthetics.
The BJP leaders, while denying any wrongdoing, argued in court that the FIR was politically motivated and an attempt to suppress dissent. The High Court’s interim relief now halts police action pending further legal scrutiny.
