Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai calls on former PM Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday called on former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda at his residence here.
Accompanied by former Housing Minister V Somanna, Bommai met the JD(S) supremo and had brief discussions on certain issues with him, though the details were not shared.
Gowda later felicitated Bommai with a shawl, garland and bouquet, sources close to the chief minister said.
Bommai comes from a socialist background and was in the JD(U) for about 10 years before joining BJP in 2008.
His father late S R Bommai, a former chief minister, was also from the Janata Parivar.
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Karnataka HC quashes FIR against three men accused of 'preaching Islam' near temple premises
Bengaluru, Jul 25 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has quashed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against three Muslim men who were accused of "preaching Islam" and distributing religious pamphlets near a Hindu temple in Jamkhandi, Bagalkot district.
The complaint had alleged that the men attempted religious conversion by making promises of employment and passed derogatory remarks about Hinduism.
However, the High Court held that there was no substantial evidence of coercion, fraud, or inducement--criteria necessary for prosecution under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022.
The court made it clear that mere expression or distribution of religious literature does not amount to an offence unless accompanied by forceful or deceitful attempts to convert.
"The essence of a free society lies in the freedom to express, discuss, and propagate beliefs," the bench observed.
It further stated that peaceful preaching, in the absence of coercion or allurement, is protected under Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess and propagate one's religion.
Additionally, the bench noted that the complainant in the case was neither the alleged victim nor a relative of one. As per Section 4 of the 2022 Act, only an aggrieved individual or their close relatives are permitted to lodge such complaints--making the FIR procedurally invalid.
