Haveri Police had filed a suo-motu case against Tejasvi Surya for spreading misinformation. Surya had posted on X, claiming farmer Rudrappa C Balikai committed suicide after discovering his land was taken by the Waqf Board.
Published Dec 12, 2024 | 5:52 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 12, 2024 | 5:52 PM
File photo of BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. (Supplied)
The Karnataka High Court on 12 December quashed the FIR filed against Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya over allegations of spreading fake news regarding the death of a farmer.
Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order, clearing Surya of charges related to the case.
#Karnataka: High Court quashes FIR against #Bengaluru South MP @Tejasvi_Surya over the allegations of spreading fake news on farmer’s death.
Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered to quash FIR against BJP MP Surya on 12 December.Haveri Police had registered a suo-moto case against… pic.twitter.com/gRQ2LwMgxg
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) December 12, 2024
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The Haveri Police had registered a suo-motu case against Surya on 7 November, accusing him of spreading misinformation. Surya had posted on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that a farmer named Rudrappa C Balikai had committed suicide after learning that his land was taken over by the Waqf Board.
In his petition, Surya sought to have the FIR quashed, arguing that he had deleted the post after Haveri Police issued a clarification on the incident. The High Court had granted a stay on the investigation on 14 November, pending further proceedings.
Senior Counsel Arun Shyam, representing Surya, argued that the MP had promptly removed the post once the police clarified the facts surrounding the farmer’s death. However, counsel for the state opposed the plea, asserting that the case should proceed.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court reserved its order on 5 December. On 12 December, Justice Nagaprasanna issued the ruling, quashing the FIR against Surya.
Surya, who also serves as the national president of the BJP Yuva Morcha, faced criticism for the post, but the court’s decision has cleared him of any legal wrongdoing in the matter.
(Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Mahesh M Goudar)
