K'taka HC reserves verdict on Tejasvi Surya's plea to quash case for allegedly spreading fake news
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has reserved its verdict on a petition filed by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya seeking to quash a case registered against him for allegedly spreading fake news about a farmer’s suicide in Haveri district.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, presiding over the matter, stated, “Heard, reserved,” after listening to arguments from both sides.
Surya’s senior counsel argued that the case lacked merit, stating, “The tweet in question was based on a news report. Even if taken at face value, no ingredients of s.353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) are made out. The tweet was deleted, and the father of the deceased gave an interview to the media the following day.”
However, the state’s counsel opposed the plea, contending that the tweet portrayed the current administration in a negative light. The court expressed disapproval of political exploitation of such incidents, stating, “A farmer’s son commits suicide due to debts or other reasons, and politics is being played over it.”
The controversy arose after Surya tweeted on November 7, claiming that farmer Rudrappa Channappa Balikai died by suicide because his land was allegedly taken over by the Waqf Board. The tweet was deleted after the Haveri district SP clarified that the suicide occurred in January 2022 and was unrelated to any Waqf Board dispute, attributing it instead to financial difficulties stemming from crop loss and loans.
Subsequently, a suo motu case was registered under s.353(2) of the BNS for publishing or circulating statements intended to promote enmity between groups. On November 14, the High Court granted interim relief to Surya by staying the investigation.
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Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader assaults blind woman in Church
Jabalpur: Anju Bhargava, vice-president of BJP's Jabalpur city unit, has come under sharp scrutiny, creating the ripples of political controvery in Madhya Pradesh, after a video surfaced online showing her physically assaulting a visually impaired woman inside a church.
The New Indian Express has reported that the said incident reportedly took place on Saturday (20 Dec) at a church in the Hawa Bagh area, which comes under the limits of Gorakhpur police station.
The video footage that has circulated widely on Monday shows Anju Bhargava, assaulting the blind woman in the presence of a police officer. In the video, Bhargava is seen shouting at the woman, twisting her arm and forcibly grabbing her face. The victim can be heard pleading to Bhargava to speak to her rather than resorting to physical violence. Also, we can hear Bhargava screaming, “will be blind in her next birth too”
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According to The Indian Express reports, Bhargava entered the church, with members of several Hindutva affiliated organisations, alleging that the visually impaired children were being forced into religious conversion; But, the students present at the church have flatly denied all the allegations.
An unnamed police officer cited in media reports states that there was no evidence to support claims of forced religious conversion. The incident has since intensified political debate in the state, with opposition parties demanding accountability and action against those involved.
