Karnataka HC stays proceedings against J P Nadda in 'undue influence in election' case
Bengaluru (PTI): The High Court of Karnataka has stayed the criminal proceedings against BJP national president J P Nadda relating to certain remarks made at an election rally in April this year.
The case was filed by the Shiggaon police in Haveri district.
Justice M Nagaprasanna issued the stay order on a petition challenging the case filed for "punishment for undue influence or personation at an election" under Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code and Section 123(2) of the Representation of the People Act.
The case, which was adjourned for hearing after the grant of stay, was registered against Nadda after he made a speech on April 19, 2023 at the Shiggaon Taluk playground while addressing an election rally.
It was alleged he threatened the voters that if they did not support the BJP, they would be deprived of the largesses from the Central government.
Election Officer Lakshman Nandi had lodged a complaint in this regard with the jurisdictional police alleging undue influence was being made on the voters.
The case is now pending before the Principal Civil and CJM Court, Haveri.
The petition in the HC filed by advocate Vinod Kumar M stated that the Magistrate had granted permission for registration of the case without jurisdiction.
The informant had to present the complaint to the Magistrate but it was sent by the investigating officer through a police constable. Since Nadda was a Member of Parliament, the permission for the registration of the case can be granted only by a designated special court.
"Therefore, the registration of FIR which is violative of the mandatory proceedings enumerated in the code of criminal procedure and the catena of judgements passed by the Hon'ble Apex Court as well as this Hon'ble Court. Therefore, the continuation of investigation is an abuse of process of law," the petition said.
Justice Nagaprasanna had quashed a FIR filed against Nadda in a similar case in Harapanahalli police station on August 7 calling it "reckless registration of crime".
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
