Criminal case over protest march: Karnataka CM moves SC to save himself from appearance before special court
Supreme Court questioning the validity of the criminal proceedings against him and others in a special court in Bengaluru for participating in a protest march on February 14, 2022, against a BJP minister.
The CM also challenged the February 6 order of the Karnataka High Court, declining to quash the criminal proceedings and imposing a fine of Rs 10,000. He moved the apex court on the grounds that the special court proceedings would lead to harassment and they did not commit the kind of offence to warrant the criminal case booked by the Bengaluru Police.
He also said the high court did not take note of the fact that the protest did not lead to any violence.
The High Court had, on Feb 6, declined to quash a non-bailable arrest warrant against Siddaramaiah, his Cabinet colleagues Ramalinga Reddy and MB Patil, and AICC general secretary RS Surjewala issued by a special court for leading a protest march on a public road in Bengaluru in April 2022, causing disruption to smooth flow of traffic.
The Court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them. The development comes even as the CM is preparing to lead a Karnataka Government protest against the Centre at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Congress party had staged a protest rally to then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s residence on the Race Course road to press for dismissal and arrest of Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa over the suicide of civil contractor Santhosh Patil after he allegedly came under pressure to pay a hefty
