The Karnataka government has decided to withdraw 62 criminal complaints against its MPs and MLAs. Based on the recommendation of Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who headed a sub-committee, cases against several sitting ministers, including the Law, Tourism and Agriculture ministers, will be dropped as well.
The cases that are being dropped are those against Karnataka Minister JC Madhuswamy and Tourism Minister CT Ravi, according to a report in News18. They both were facing charges of rioting, unlawful assembly and wrongful restraint.
The case against Anand Singh, rebel Congress leader who last year switched to join the BJP, has also been dropped. Anand Singh was booked in 2017 for attacking a Hospete Taluk office and was charged with criminal intimidation, assaulting a public servant, and damaging public property.
The case against Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, who was booked for trying to run over a policeman, has also been dropped. The policeman had tried to stop him during a Hanuman Jayanthi procession in December 2017 and had been injured then. Simha had been booked for overspeeding and for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant.
Other leaders against whom cases are being dropped include Mandya independent MP Sumalatha Ambarish, BJP MLA fromYelburga Hallapa Achar, BJP MLA from Honnalli and CM’s political secretary MP Renukacharya.
The proposal to drop these cases was opposed by the director general and inspector general of police(DG-IGP), the director of prosecution and government litigation and the law department but despite this, the government has decided to go ahead with it.
The BJP government has refused allegations of ulterior motive behind the move and have claimed that it is ‘routine’ and the leaders had cases filed against them for taking up ‘public issues.’
A couple of days ago, the government also decided to drop cases against several protestors, most of whom are part of farmers’ groups and had taken part in protests on the Mahadayi issue.
The Youth Congress in Karnataka, meanwhile, has questioned the state government’s move.
The party give tickets only for them
— M.Kashif Ahmed || ಎಂ.ಕೆ. ಅಹ್ಮದ್ (@M_KashifAhmed) September 3, 2020
Who have a criminal background or one who have done crimetl
The person who don't know to speak English he's Tourism Minister
Another one who don't know to talk properly with women's & peoples of Karnataka he's Law Minister.#CriminalsOfBJP pic.twitter.com/U3FOn9HfvV