HC quashes 'politically motivated' cases against former Karnataka CM

The Karnataka High Court today quashed proceedings initiated against former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and his wife in a lower court, terming the case against them as ‘politically motivated.’

Passing the order, Justice V Jagannathan referred to an ‘unseen hand’ behind the private complaint filed by an advocate, wondering how he secured the copies of communication between the then Chief Minister and his Political Secretary without applying for them under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

The cases against Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita, who is a JDS MLA, relate to the renewal of a mining lease to the Jantakal Mining Firm in violation of norms, as well as irregularities in allotment of sites to Vishwabharathi Housing Cooperative Society.

Terming the cases as ‘politically motivated’, the Judge said he would not allow misuse of Section 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code (pertaining to private complaints) to unleash vendettas and harass public persons. The judge also directed the complainant to pay the couple damages of one lakh rupees.

The judge also noted that many of the copies submitted by the complainant were not certified, and expressed the view that the Special Lokayukta Court had not applied its mind with regard to the material placed before it.

Justice Jagannathan held that the bulk allotments were in tune with court orders, and observed that the complainant himself has admitted that Anita was a member of that Society much before the bulk allotment was made.

Reacting to the High Court order, an elated Kumaraswamy, a Lok Sabha member and JDS state unit President, termed it “a victory of truth and dharma.”

PTI