The Karnataka High Court quashed the cheating case against BJP MLC Shashil Namoshi. He, along with others, was accused of misappropriating Rs. 65.17 crore. The court’s decision provides relief to Namoshi, who had challenged the allegations. The case involved alleged financial irregularities in a public project.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court dismissed a cheating case against BJP MLC Shashil Namoshi, who is also the president of the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society, stating that “without an aggrieved person who has been cheated, cheating cannot be complained about by all and sundry.”
The complaint, filed in August 2024, alleged that Namoshi and other members of the society’s governing council failed to disburse stipends to postgraduate students at a college managed by the society. It further accused them of selling blocked seats, obtaining blank cheques, and misappropriating Rs 65.17 crore.
Senior advocate C.V. Nagesh, representing Namoshi and the others, argued that they had previously filed a cheating case against former governing council members, suggesting that the current complaint was retaliatory. He also pointed out that no victim had come forward to file a complaint, which is necessary for a cheating case under the Indian Penal Code.
In an order issued on February 7, the High Court noted that the complaint was filed 15 years after the alleged cheating began and six years after it ended.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna remarked,
“It is also an admitted fact that the complainant has been a member of the Society throughout and has served as an office-bearer intermittently. If he was positioning himself as a vigilante, he should have reported the crime immediately. The 15-year delay has completely vitiated the registration of the crime itself,”
He emphasized,
“Not one student has, till today, registered any complaint over the past 15 years regarding not receiving their stipend. This is an admitted fact. Without an aggrieved person who has been cheated, cheating cannot be complained about by all and sundry,”
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Consequently, the court quashed the proceedings against the BJP MLC and the others and also dismissed a related case filed in October of the previous year, deeming it an offshoot of the original case.
The Karnataka High Court quashed a cheating case against BJP MLC Shashil Namoshi, citing the absence of an aggrieved victim. The complaint alleged Rs.65.17 crore misappropriation in a college stipend scheme.
The court noted a 15-year delay in filing the case and dismissed it as baseless. A related case from October was also struck down.