Today(19th Sept), The Karnataka High Court quashed the criminal case against BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje, initiated by Bengaluru police over her Tamil Nadu remarks. Justice M. Nagaprasanna’s decision followed the Madras High Court’s earlier dismissal of a similar FIR.
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BENGALURU: Today(19th Sept), The Karnataka High Court quashed the criminal case registered against BJP Member of Parliament, Shobha Karandlaje, by the Bengaluru police. The case had been initiated following a controversial remark she made regarding the people of Tamil Nadu during a press conference.
The case was quashed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, who observed the submission made by Karandlaje’s counsel, Advocate Venkatesh Dalwai. The counsel pointed out that the Madras High Court had previously quashed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against the BJP MP by the Madurai City Cybercrime Police for the same comment on September 5.
Justice Nagaprasanna noted that –
“Given that the offenses are identical and arise from the same incident, I respectfully concur with the decision of the Madras High Court and hereby quash the case.”
further emphasizing that the Karnataka case was closely tied to the earlier proceedings in Tamil Nadu.
The FIR against Karandlaje was related to a statement she made following the blasts at Rameshwaram Café in Bengaluru on March 1.
During the press conference, she allegedly remarked-
“People trained in Tamil Nadu are responsible for planting bombs here. A bomb was planted at the hotel.”
This statement attracted considerable attention and led to legal proceedings in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
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The comment was viewed as inflammatory by many and resulted in the Madurai City Cybercrime Police filing an FIR against her. However, in a turn of events, the Tamil Nadu government expressed its willingness to drop the matter, stating that they were prepared to accept Karandlaje’s apology and no longer wished to pursue the case.
On September 5, the Madras High Court had quashed the FIR filed against the BJP MP after considering the Tamil Nadu government’s stance. The Court accepted the government’s submission that they were satisfied with the MP’s apology and were ready to let the issue go. This paved the way for the Karnataka High Court’s decision to follow suit.
Taking the Madras High Court’s decision into account, the Karnataka High Court also decided to quash the criminal case registered in Bengaluru. Justice Nagaprasanna remarked that the offences being considered in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were based on the same set of facts and circumstances. Therefore, it was logical to adopt a similar judicial approach.
