Karnataka HC stays proceedings in case against CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru(PTI): The High Court of Karnataka has granted an interim stay on the proceedings in a case registered against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for holding a protest march here seeking the resignation of BJP leader K S Eshwarappa from the cabinet in 2022. Siddaramaiah, who was the then leader of opposition, had led the march from Congress Bhavan to the residence of then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The criminal petition filed by Siddaramaiah seeking quashing of the case was heard by the special bench constituted to hear petitions by sitting and former MLAs and ministers.
Justice M Nagaprasanna heard the petition at the High Court bench in Dharwad today.
After listening to the arguments of the counsel for the petitioner, the bench stayed the proceedings in the case till the next date of hearing on September 15.
Alleging that Eshwarappa was responsible for the suicide of contractor Santosh Patil and demanding his resignation, the Congress party led by Siddaramaiah had held a protest on April 14, 2022.
An FIR was registered in this regard at the High Grounds Police Station here, against the protestors for obstructing traffic and disturbing law and order.
The police who conducted the investigation submitted the charge sheet on February 12, 2023 in which Siddaramaiah is the main accused. The case is pending before the 42nd ACMM (Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate) court.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
