Karnataka Court Summons Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar Over Defamation Case By BJP

The BJP has filed a defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Summons were ordered to be issued on Tuesday to all the respondents over the defamation case by BJP. The respondents include Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

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The BJP has filed a defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court here. The special court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to elected former and sitting MPs/MLAs has taken cognisance of the offences under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and posted the case for recording the sworn statement on July 27.

Summons were ordered to be issued on Tuesday to all the respondents in this regard. The private complaint alleging false claims in advertisements tarnishing the image of the BJP was filed by the party's state secretary S Keshavaprasad on May 9.

According to the complaint, the advertisement released by the KPCC in major newspapers on May 5, 2023 in the run-up to the Assembly election claiming that the then incumbent

BJP government indulged in "40 per cent corruption" and had looted Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the previous four years was "baseless, prejudiced and defamatory".

Coming down heavily on the Congress on the issue of corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 30) said the grand old party had always been associated with "85 per cent commission", and its "shahi parivar" (royal family) was out on bail in connection with scams worth thousands of crores of rupees.

Addressing three rallies in 'Old Mysuru' (South Karnataka), where BJP is considered to be weak and is focusing on winning more seats in this Vokkaliga-dominated region with an aim at returning to power with a majority, he hit out at opponents JD(S) and Congress, calling them a "sign of instability".

He cautioned the people that they could not afford to give the state's fortune into the hands of the Congress, a party "whose main aim is to serve a family sitting in Delhi", and the JD(S) which is "completely a private limited party of a family".

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)