KRS seeks impeachment of Karnataka HC Judge over allegedly protecting Dharmasthala Chief
Bengaluru: In a strong move, the Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS), a registered political party in the state, has submitted an application to the Hon’ble President of India seeking the impeachment of Justice R. Devdas, a sitting judge of the Karnataka High Court. The KRS has accused the judge of “proved misbehaviour” and “deliberate abuse of judicial office” in connection with a case involving Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala.
The contents of the impeachment plea, as detailed in a press release issued by KRS on Monday, claim that Justice Devdas delivered a judgment that became a judicial tool to facilitate “an unprecedented suppression of free speech” aimed at silencing critics of Dr. Heggade, whose spiritual and social institutions command massive influence and resources.
The letter to the President was originally submitted on June 25, 2025, but details were made public only through the July 7 press note.
According to the KRS, the root of the alleged abuse lies in Justice Devdas’s order dated January 20, 2025, in Writ Petition No. 19382 of 2023. The judgment, the party alleges, unlawfully authorised the police to intervene in private defamation cases, a power that is otherwise limited under Indian law.
“This judgment was the necessary key that unlocked a floodgate of censorship aimed directly at criticisms against Dr. Veerendra Heggade and the administration of Dharmasthala, creating a crisis for free speech on a scale never before witnessed in India,” said Ravi Krishna Reddy, President of KRS, in the statement.
The application accuses Justice Devdas of not only empowering police to interfere in civil disputes but also of coercing a litigant to relinquish their right to free expression. The KRS argues that the judgment prioritized the dignity of an individual over constitutional guarantees of free speech, creating what it calls a “judicial weapon” specifically aimed at insulating Dr. Heggade from scrutiny.
The KRS said that Justice Devdas’s judgment directly led to an “unprecedented” and sweeping censorship campaign. The press release highlights a civil suit, O.S. No. 2145/2025, filed on March 21, 2025, in Bengaluru by individuals linked to Dr. Heggade’s organisation.
On March 22, just one day later, Judge S. Nataraj of the VI Additional City Civil and Sessions Court in Bengaluru passed an ex-parte mandatory injunction ordering the removal of:
1,588 YouTube videos,
645 Instagram videos and slides,
633 Facebook videos and slides,
Along with news articles and Reddit threads,
The party alleges that the content targeted for removal overwhelmingly included criticism of Dr. Heggade and his institutional operations.
“To grant an order for the removal of over 2,200 videos and content... within 24 hours of a suit being filed is a mathematical and logical impossibility for any judge genuinely applying judicial mind,” said Reddy. “This is an act of judicial corruption and a blatant dereliction of duty.”
The KRS further demanded that the Government of Karnataka establish a Commission of Enquiry to investigate judicial misconduct by Judge S. Nataraj and probe irregularities in the City Civil Court Registry.
The party raised suspicions of "forum shopping", alleging that several sensitive civil suits filed by proxies of Dr. Heggade were consistently assigned to the same judge. “This pattern raises serious doubts over case allocation procedures and potential manipulation,” the press note reads.
The KRS’s impeachment application also draws attention to what it calls “systemic failures” in judicial oversight. Citing flaws in the Collegium System, the party points to the lack of accountability mechanisms once judges are appointed, and a failure to monitor actions at the trial court level.
Calling it a matter that strikes at the heart of democratic values, the KRS urged the President of India, the Chief Justice of India, and parliamentary leaders to act on their application with urgency.
“The time has come for accountability,” said Reddy. “Protecting Dr. Veerendra Heggade from public critique through judicial manipulation is a perversion of justice that this nation cannot tolerate.”
The party reiterated that their request for impeachment was based entirely on their interpretation of legal misconduct outlined in the press statement and that their motive was to protect the constitutional right to free expression and restore faith in the judiciary.
This marks one of the rare occasions in recent years where a political party has sought impeachment of a High Court judge, citing actions that allegedly aided censorship and protected influential figures from public scrutiny.
Note: All information in this report is sourced from the official press release issued by the Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) on July 7, 2025, and pertains to the party's communication to the President of India dated June 25, 2025.
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Nothing wrong if Kharge wants to come back to Karnataka politics: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said there is nothing wrong if party national President Mallikarjun Kharge wants to return to state politics.
He was responding to a question from reporters on Kharge's remarks, recalling how he lost the Chief Minister's post to S M Krishna after the 1999 Karnataka Assembly polls. Kharge's remarks added to the speculations of leadership change in Congress and about his return to state politics.
Senior Congress leader Parameshwara also said that wrongly interpreting Kharge is also not correct.
Kharge's statement seems to have rekindled the debate on 'Dalit CM' within the party. The AICC President, who hails from Karnataka, belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
Making a Dalit the CM is a hotly debated matter within the Congress party, the issue on which senior leaders and Ministers Parameshwara and H C Mahadevappa have openly spoken in the past. Both belong to Scheduled Castes.
These comments have come amid speculations within the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the Chief Minister change later this year, citing a rumoured power-sharing agreement involving incumbent Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
"Kharge is a senior leader not only in our party, but in national politics, making comments on him is not right. Kharge is competent to hold all kinds of positions; he has experience, and he has been in politics for about 50 years. If he says something, interpreting it wrongly is not correct," Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question.
Asked about some speaking about his return to state politics, he said, "There is nothing wrong in it. He is holding the decisive position in our party. He is the one who decides as to who should be the Chief Minister, being the AICC President. So, in case he wants to come back to state politics, no one should interpret it wrong."
Speaking at an event in Vijayapura on Sunday, Kharge had recalled about him missing the Chief Ministerial post, when Congress came to power in 1999.
"As CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader I tried to bring the party to power (ahead of 1999 polls), the party formed the government and S M Krishna became the Chief Minister. He had come (as KPCC President) four months ahead (of polls)....all my service was washed down the river. I feel that -- I toiled for five years, but the person who came four months ago was made the CM," the Congress chief had said.
"What I'm trying to say is, we may face difficulties, but we must continue to work without greed in mind. If you are greedy, you won't get anything, also you won't be able to do what's in your mind. Passing through all these things, from being a block president, I have now become AICC President. I did not go behind positions," he further said.
Mahadevappa too, reacting to Kharge's statement on Monday had said, Kharge is one of the senior leaders in the country and he has all the required qualities to occupy any constitutional post, and our wish is that he should get an opportunity, whenever there is one.
Naming Dalit leaders in Congress who have occupied the CM post in other states like -- Damodaram Sanjivayya, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jagannath Pahadia and Ram Sundar Das, he said, "When time comes the party will take a decision and everyone will abide by it."
However, trying to downplay speculations, Kharge's son and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday said his father was merely sharing the path he had walked in his political career -- both ups and downs -- and that his speech should be seen in entirety not selectively. He has also made it clear that he has no regrets.
"From the blessings of everyone, the people of Kalaburagi and Karnataka, he is in the post that was once occupied by Subhas Chandra Bose and Gandhiji. Whatever he has decided on his political future, he will decide himself. He has earned that respect and reputation. He has a good relationship with the high command. Whatever he decides, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will automatically accept it," he said.
