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."
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Guwahati (PTI): For a young cricketer, a few words of praise from superstar Virat Kohli can feel like a standing ovation, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had his moment after yet another breathtaking performance in the IPL.
The 15-year-old continues to carve a fearless reputation, taking on the best with remarkable ease. Fresh from unsettling Jasprit Bumrah, he went after Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, smashing a stunning 78 off just 26 balls to steer Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Friday.
After the match, Kohli signed the youngster’s cap and left a simple but special message: “Dear Vaibhav, well done.”
The innings also propelled Sooryavanshi to the top of the run charts this season, earning him the Orange Cap.
Rajasthan Royals stayed unbeaten with four wins in as many games, while the defending champions suffered their first loss of the campaign.
