Karnataka High Court stays FIR against Tejasvi Surya over tweet on farmer's suicide
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued an interim stay on the investigation against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who faced an FIR for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the suicide of a farmer in Haveri district.
The court's order came after Surya filed a petition seeking the quashing of the FIR filed by the Haveri police in response to his post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Justice M Nagaprasanna, while granting the stay, observed that the allegations against Surya, under section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), did not, prima facie, constitute an offence. The judge further noted that Surya had deleted the tweet and cited a media interview by the deceased farmer's father, which could potentially support Surya's position. The case will be heard again on December 4, 2024.
Surya's tweet had linked the farmer's suicide to the Karnataka government's handling of the Waqf issue, claiming the farmer took his life after his land was allegedly taken over by the Waqf Board. The tweet read, "A farmer in Haveri commits suicide after finding his land taken over by Waqf! In their haste to appease minorities, CM Siddaramaiah and Minister B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan have unleashed catastrophic effects in Karnataka that are becoming impossible to contain with every passing day."
In response to the police's clarification that the farmer's death was due to loan-related stress, Surya deleted the tweet. However, the state government argued that Surya's post could incite communal tensions and negatively impact society.
Justice Nagaprasanna questioned whether the state's action of registering an FIR was justified, stating, "Is what is happening also correct? Just yesterday, I said that every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
China confirms its support to Pakistan during four-day conflict with India
Beijing (PTI): China, for the first time, has confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India last year, official media reports here said.
China's state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design.
Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV.
Pakistan's air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an AVIC subsidiary.
"At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically,” Zhang said.
What drove his team was the "desire to do an even better job with on site support” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”, Zhang told CCTV.
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” he said.
