The Congress government in Karnataka has decided to withdraw cases against its supporters, Muslim rioters and several Ambedkarite ‘activists’.
On Thursday (4th September), the state government approved the withdrawal of cases against those involved in the 2019 stone-pelting incident in Chittapur, wherein a Muslim mob comprising 20 to 30 youths pelted stones after Hindu activists gave tip to police about cattle smuggling. This case was withdrawn on the petition submitted by IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge.
The Congress government has withdrawn cases against the supporters of deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who were were booked for stone-pelting on buses and government offices in Kanakapura after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in 2019. Cases against supporters of Shivakumar’s brother, former Bangalore Rural MP D K Suresh, who in 2012 had gheraoed then CM, protesting the exclusion of Suresh from a function to garland Dr B R Ambedkar’s statue, have also been withdrawn.
Deccan Heraldreported that these withdrawals were approved against the advice of the Home Department – the DGP and IGP, the Director of Prosecutions and Government Litigation, and the Law Department. These authorities said that these cases were “not fit” for withdrawal and that “no public interest” was involved.
In addition, cases pertaining to violence on Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Ramanagar, Koppal and other areas have also been withdrawn after an appeal by former Home Minister Araga Jnanendra. In one of these cases, police was allegedly misbehaved with by Ganesh procession participants. The second case was against those who organised a ram fight and the third was was related to violations during the Ganesh Chaturthi procession in 2019.
Four cases pertaining to the violent protests held at Shikaripura in the Shivamogga district in 2023 against the internal reservation for Scheduled Caste members announced by the then BJP government.
Three cases were withdrawn on petitions filed by Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, and the chief whip of the government in the Legislative Assembly, Ashok Pattan.
“We have withdrawn 60 cases which were filed by the government; they include cases booked against farmers, students, and Kannada activists. We have withdrawn the cases in various police stations,” Law and Parliament Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
This, however, is not the first time that the Congress government has withdrawn cases against rioters. In October 2024, the CM Siddaramiah-led government withdrew the case against leaders from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and others involved in the 2022 Hubballi Riots.
These Muslim individuals were accused of orchestrating a large mob of Muslims that stormed the Old Hubli police station and attacked police personnel. The mob had not only pelted stones at the police station and police vehicles but also targeted a nearby Hanuman temple and a hospital, causing significant damage. The Karnataka Government’s decision came despite the state’s Law and Police departments being opposed to the move.
The Congress government’s move to withdraw 60 cases, with most being those against its own supporters, has sparked a political storm. Amidst the controversy, the Karnataka cabinet has approved the recommendations of the one-man inquiry commission headed Justice P.N. Desai, which gave ‘clean chit’ to Chief Minister Siddaramiah and his family in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case.
The report was submitted on 31st July to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh.
“We (the Cabinet) had constituted Justice P N Desai’s one-man commission, which has submitted its report in two volumes. The report makes it clear that there is no truth in allegations made against the chief minister and his family. It has also asked for action against certain officials on various accounts. We have accepted the report and its recommendations,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
Background of MUDA Scam
On 10th July 2024, a complaint was filed against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Social activist Snehamayi Krishna has filed the complaint. It has accused Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, who claimed to be a landowner, and his family of ‘wrongdoings’.
It is pertinent to note that earlier, CM Siddaramaiah rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe in this matter. In his defence, he demanded Rs 62 from MUDA claiming that it “usurped” his family’s 3.16-acre land for a development project. However, the Chief Minister’s demand soon sparked an outrage among the Bengaluru farmers. They accused the administration of following separate rules for the Chief Minister and state farmers. Additionally, they have also started to demand higher compensation from MUDA for acquiring their land for key development projects. The Lokayukta Police, however, handed clean chit to the accused earlier due to “lack of evidence”.