Remarks against Siddaramaiah: K'taka HC stays FIR against BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan for four weeks

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday stayed the FIR against former Deputy Chief Minister and Malleshwaram BJP MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan for four weeks. Narayan had approached the High Court seeking a direction to quash the FIR lodged against him for his remarks against the then Leader of Opposition and current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Justice M Nagaprasanna who heard the petition and arguments by senior advocate Prabhuling Navadgi said that prima facie the offence under Section 153 of the IPC (provocation for rioting) was not forthcoming.

In a meeting of BJP workers on February 15, Narayan had called upon the party supporters to ”finish off Siddaramaiah just like Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda finished off Tipu Sultan”. The complaint against Narayan was lodged by one M Lakshmana in the Devaraja Police Station, Mysuru.

Navadgi, the Advocate General in the previous government, argued Narayan’s case and pointed out that the complaint by a Congress party member was filed on May 24, 2023 after the new government came to power and the FIR was registered the same day, which showed malicious intentions. Another complaint was filed in February itself and a non-cognisable report was filed in the issue, the court was informed. ”The complaint is filed only with a malicious intention of harassing the petitioner and the complaint itself speaks of expressing suspicion of threat to life, which in fact does not exist,” the petition by Narayan said.

In the prayer, the petition said, ”The petitioner being an MLA representing his constituency would be put to great hardship and distress if the further proceedings under the FIR are not stayed. The complainant will be put to no hardship if the interim order as prayed for is granted.”