The Karnataka High Court stayed a 2024 criminal case against D. K. Shivakumar over a controversial Facebook post targeting Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, with Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav seeking the State’s response to his plea challenging the proceedings.
KARNATAKA: The Karnataka High Court stayed a criminal case initiated in 2024 against Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, relating to a Facebook post targeting certain Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, which was claimed to have morphed and provocative content.
Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav granted the interim order in response to Shivakumar’s plea to dismiss the criminal proceedings against him, and the court requested a response from the State regarding the issue.
The charges stem from a post shared on the Indian National Congress (INC) Karnataka’s Facebook page in 2024, which coincided with protests by BJP leaders following the January 2024 arrest of Srikanth Poojary in a decades-old riots case linked to the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya.
In the wake of the arrest, the BJP’s Karnataka unit launched a campaign against the ruling Congress government. Key BJP figures, including State President Vijayendra Yediyurappa, Eshwarappa, Pratapa Simha, and CT Ravi, held placards stating, “I’m also a Karsevak, Arrest Me Too” during their demonstrations.
Amid these protests, a post was reportedly made on the INC Karnataka Facebook page featuring the aforementioned BJP leaders holding these placards, but with altered text.
Yogendra Hodaghatta, the State convenor of the BJP’s legal cell, called for a criminal case to be filed against BR Naidu, the social media head of INC Karnataka, and DK Shivakumar, claiming the post was intended to incite enmity between groups and damage the reputation of senior BJP leaders.
After the police initially refused to register the complaint, Hodaghatta submitted a private complaint to a judicial magistrate in Bengaluru. In February 2024, the court forwarded the matter back to the police for an investigation and the preparation of a First Information Report (FIR).
The FIR filed by the High Grounds police station accused the individuals of violating Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity), 504 (intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace), 505 (2) (statements that create or promote enmity, hatred, or ill will between classes), and 464 (making a false document) of the Indian Penal Code.
Following this, Shivakumar approached the High Court to seek the quashing of the criminal proceedings. His petition was submitted through advocate HV Praveen Gowda.
The court then stayed the criminal case and requested a response from the State on the matter.
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