Karnataka HC quashes FIR against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over farmer suicide post
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has set aside an FIR filed against BJP Yuva Morcha president and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.
The FIR, registered by the Haveri police under 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was based on a social media post Surya made concerning a farmer's suicide, which he linked to alleged Waqf Board land claims.
The petition, filed by Surya, argued that the FIR was baseless and politically motivated.
Following detailed hearings, Justice M Nagaprasanna's bench quashed the case after earlier granting an interim stay on proceedings.
Senior advocate Aruna Shyam, representing Surya, informed the court that the MP's post on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter) was made after the deceased farmer's father highlighted grievances related to land disputes involving the Karnataka Waqf Board.
Surya's post alleged that the suicide was connected to the board's land claims. However, Haveri Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar later clarified that the farmer, Rudrappa, who died by suicide in January 2022, had done so due to crop losses and loans, not due to Waqf-related issues.
Following this clarification, Surya deleted the post.
Shyam also pointed to concerns over amendments made to land records by the Karnataka Revenue Department, which allegedly replaced farmers' ownership details with the Waqf Board's name across various districts. These changes sparked anxiety among farmers, leading to protests and the state government's subsequent withdrawal of the amendments, he explained.
The counsel noted that Surya, as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, had visited farmers in Vijayapura alongside JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal.
The visit brought attention to issues faced by farmers in Karnataka due to Waqf-related land claims, which Surya highlighted in his now-deleted post, Surya's advocate said.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
