High Court quashes case against MP K. Sudhakar in cash seizure incident
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has quashed the case registered against Chikkaballapur MP Dr. K. Sudhakar in connection with the seizure of Rs 4.8 crore during the last Lok Sabha elections near Madavara.
A single-judge bench of Justice M.I. Arun allowed Sudhakar’s plea seeking to cancel the FIR and the trial proceedings pending before the Special Court for People’s Representatives. The detailed judgment copy is yet to be made available.
The case dates back to April 25, 2024, when election officials received a tip-off that Rs 10 crore was being kept aside to distribute among voters. Acting on this information, officials of the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department raided the house of Govindappa in Madavara village and seized Rs 4.8 crore. The complaint was filed by Dasharath V. Kumbar, a member of the Static Surveillance Team.
It was alleged that during this time, K. Sudhakar, who was then the BJP candidate, had contacted election officer Munish Mudgil via WhatsApp call and messages from an unknown number seeking help. The complaint further alleged that the seized money was intended to be distributed to voters. Following this, the Madanayakanahalli police registered an FIR.
Sudhakar, Govindappa and others were booked under sections 171E (bribery in elections), 171F (undue influence in elections), 171B (offering gifts to influence voters), 171C (interference with voting rights) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with electoral malpractices. The police later filed a chargesheet, and the Special Court had taken cognizance of the case.
Challenging this, Sudhakar approached the High Court, which has now set aside the FIR and the subsequent proceedings.
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PM Modi, myself don't have 'wife issue': Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): In a friendly banter, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he didn’t have "the wife issue", as the Congress MP emphasised that everyone has learnt from women in their lives.
Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the three bills introduced for amendments to the women's quota law and setting up a delimitation commission, Gandhi said women are a driving force in the national imagination and national perspective.
"All of us in this room have been influenced, taught, and have learnt a lot from women in our lives – from mothers, sisters, wives," Gandhi said.
"Of course, the prime minister and myself don't have the wife issue, so we don't get that input, but we have our mothers and sisters," he said while referring to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's light-hearted remark that he got a scolding at home as he did not pen a poem for his wife like Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal did.
Gandhi also lauded his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
"Yesterday, I was watching my sister achieve in five minutes what I have not been able to do in 20 years of my political career – make Amit Shah Ji smile," Gandhi said to peals of laughter.
