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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Leadership issue: Cong high command will call us at 'appropriate time,' will wait, says Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Dec 20 (PTI): With the leadership issue involving him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah coming to the fore again, deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Saturday said the Congress high command has told the two leaders as to when they will be called to Delhi to to discuss the matter.
He said that both of them will go to Delhi and meet the high command, when summoned.
"I will inform you, I won't do anything without informing you. I will not go hiding from you," Shivakumar told reporters here in response to a question on him and Siddaramaiah's likely visit to the national capital to meet the party high command after the just concluded legislature session.
Asked if there was any invitation from the high command, asking him and CM to come to Delhi, he said, "they have told something to both of us, they have told both of us over phone as to when they will call us. We will go, both of us will go."
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"They (high command) have said they will call both of us at the appropriate time, we will wait for the call," the Karnataka Congress chief added.
Shivakumar's statement came a day after Siddaramaiah asserted in the Assembly that he would continue in office. He had also said that the Congress high command was "in my favour" and asserted that no decision was made on him staying at the helm for only two-and-a-half years, as per a rumoured 2023 agreement on power-sharing with his deputy.
Shivakumar, had said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
The speculation was fueled by the "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
Meanwhile some 'Naga Sadhus' visited the Deputy CM's residence and blessed him.
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Stating that he is going to Delhi on Tuesday to meet various central ministers, Shivakumar, who is also the Minister for water resources said, "the central government's water resources department has called us regarding interlinking of rivers."
"I will go there and discuss matters related to the state's river projects like Mahadayi, Krishna water award, Mekedatu, and Upper Badhra."
He said he will also meet the central water resources minister, forest minister, urban development minister.
"There are a lot of issues. We wanted to meet them along with MPs from the state, but still I will go and meet. Then after that, if needed, we will meet the Prime Minister also with the issues," Shivkumar added.
Hitting out at the Modi government at the Center for replacing the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, and removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from it, Shivakumar accused it of insulting the father of the nation.
He also challenged the government to remove Gandhiji's image from currency notes.
"The country wants Gandhi. People of the country will respond to it," he said.
"They want to change Gandhi's name...let them change this picture of Gandhi also," he said, showing a currency note.
"With Gandhi's name we had started an employment guarantee scheme under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and (late) Manmohan Singh (former PM), the MGNREGA.....they want to kill the scheme, so they have changed its name. A big movement will start against it from Karnataka itself," he said.
