Actress Sumalatha seeks support of S M Krishna for candidacy from Mandya
Bengaluru, Mar 15: Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of late actor-turned-politician, who is likely to contest as an independent from Mandya in the Lok Sabha polls, Friday met senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna here and sought his support.
Krishna, a prominent Vokkaliga leader from Mandya Said he would discuss with the party leadership on supporting her in the polls.
On her part,Sumalatha said she would reveal her decision on contesting the polls and her plan of action by March 18.
"Sumalatha informed me about contesting the polls from Mandya. I will also speak to the BJP leadership,"Krishna said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the BJP would take a decision by March 18 on whether to field a candidate from Mandya or support Sumalatha by not fielding a candidate.
Conceding that there is a demand within the BJP to field a candidate from Mandya, he said "After taking a total view...also looking into the decision that Sumalatha will take on March 18, BJP will take a decision."
On him supporting Sumalatha if the party's decision was otherwise, he said "S M Krishna is not different from BJP as he is part of it."
With Congress ruling out fielding Sumalatha for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, saying it would go to it's coalition partner JD(S), clamour is growing within the BJP to induct her into the party and field her as the candidate.
A section within the BJP believe that if Sumalatha joins the party and is fielded as a candidate in Mandya, it would help the saffron party, which doesn't have much presence in the Vokkaliga bastion.
Sumalatha's late husband Ambareesh had contested and won from Mandya in the past.
However, according to top BJP sources, instead of inducting her, the party may support her as an independent so that she can continue to bank on the support of disgruntled Congress leaders in Mandya, who are upset about their party's decision to cede the seat to JD(S).
"Her winning is more important now...so support of those disgruntled with the Congress will be an added advantage,which she may lose out by joining the BJP," party sources said.
Speaking to reporters,Sumalatha said she had come to seek the blessings of Krishna, with whom her family shared a good bonding and updated him about the current situation in Mandya.
Stating that she has not met any BJP leaders, the actress said she planned to meet all senior leaders and seek their blessings.
"No one (from BJP) has officially told me that they will extend their support, but in the situation that I'm in, Iwill welcome everyone's support,"she said in response to a question on BJP extending her support as an independent candidate.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the coalition candidate from Mandya.
According to the seat sharing arrangement reached by the coalition partners, Mandya has gone to the JD(S).
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'Traitor' jibe: HC issues notice to police, Sena MLA on Kamra's plea against FIR
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Mumbai police and Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel on comedian Kunal Kamra's plea challenging an FIR lodged against him for allegedly passing a "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and S M Modak said it would hear Kamra's petition on April 16.
The comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summons issued to him.
Following a complaint by Sena MLA Murji Patel, the Khar police in Mumbai last month registered the FIR against Kamra under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation).
"Issue notice to the respondents (police and Patel). They shall take instructions and respond to the plea," the HC said.
Three FIRs registered against the comedian at Nashik Rural, Jalgaon and Nashik (Nandgaon) have also been transferred to the Khar police.
Kamra's counsel Navroz Seervai informed the Bombay HC bench that the Madras High Court on Monday extended till April 17 the earlier interim transit anticipatory bail granted to the comedian.
The petitioner has offered in writing thrice to the police to allow him to appear for questioning via video conference in light of the dangers and threat to his life, Seervai said.
"It seems that the police authorities are not so keen on recording his statement but more on bringing him here physically," the senior counsel claimed.
Kamra is presently in Tamil Nadu where he has been residing since 2021, as per his plea.
"This is not a case of murder. It is an FIR that has stemmed from a stand-up comedy show. He (Kamra) is ready to cooperate with the probe but through video conference," Seervai said.
The bench said it would consider all issues on April 16.
During the show, stand-up comedian Kamra had taunted Shinde, without taking his name, using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film "Dil To Pagal Hai" where he called him a "gaddar" (traitor).
The comedian went on to joke about how Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership (in June 2022).
In his plea filed on April 5, Kamra claimed the complaints against him were violative of his fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression, right to practice any profession and business and right to life and liberty guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
He sought for the FIR to be quashed, claiming the allegations, even if taken at face value, do not constitute an offence.
The comedian also sought the HC to protect him from any coercive action including arrest, seizure of his personal electronic devices and examination of his financial transactions and accounts.
"To permit the investigation to continue would constitute a frontal assault on the freedom of speech and expression. Should a citizen's right to comment on the political developments and actions of political leaders be criminalised in this manner?" the petition said.
Kamra said his remarks made regarding the split in the Shiv Sena, Shinde quitting Uddhav Thackeray's Sena faction and being sworn in as the chief minister at the time (in 2022) are all part of records.
The plea said the FIR has been registered on a stand-up comedy performance, which provides satirical commentary on various social and political events of the country.
There has been a gross abuse of process and the malafide deployment of the criminal justice machinery by a member of the state's legislative assembly, resulting in a patent violation of a citizen's fundamental rights, it claimed.
As per the petition, Kamra wrote the show's script in July 2024 and performed it on 60 occasions between August last year and February 2025.
A recording of the show was uploaded only in March 2025, pursuant to which case was lodged, it said.
