Bengaluru: BJP MLA and former minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking quashing of an FIR lodged against him over his “finish off” statement against now Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during campaigning for the recent state Assembly election.
Senior counsel Lakshmi Iyyangar on Monday pleaded before a bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna for taking up the matter.
“The development took place months ago. A complaint has been given after the change of the government in the state and an FIR has been lodged,” he argued.
The bench said that the matter would be taken up on Tuesday.
The petition claimed that the complaint is against the Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution and filed illegally.
“The case has been lodged alleging criminal threat, causing riot and willful provocation without proof. No peace has been disturbed after the statement by the petitioner and it is not clear who will be affected by the statement and the complaint against him is a fiction,” counsel argued.
A case was registered against Ashwath Narayan in connection with hate speech in Mysuru district and Congress state spokesperson M. Lakshman had lodged a complaint with the Devaraja Urs police station in Mysuru.
The complainant has asked the police to initiate action against Ashwath Narayan over his statements of finishing him off Siddaramaiah like how erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan was finished off.
The statement was made during the election campaign at Satanur village in Mandya district on February 15. The Congress leaders had lodged a police complaint in this regard on February 17 but there was no action on the complaint.
Lakshman has stated in the complaint that Ashwath Narayan had given public provocation by giving a call to finish off Siddaramaiah. Earlier there was an attempt made on Siddaramaiah’s life when he visited the rain hit areas in the region.
There are possibilities of anti-social elements harming him again. Action needs to be taken against Ashwath Narayan, he demanded in his complaint.
Ashwath Narayan had stated, “The people of Mandya would achieve anything. It should begin from Mandya. Otherwise Tippu fan Siddaramaiah will come to the forefront. You decide on whether you want Tipu or Savarkar. What did Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda do to Tipu Sultan? They finished him off. Likewise Siddaramaiah should be finished off.”
When his remarks spurred a controversy, Ashwath Narayan clarified that he made the statement to convey to the people to defeat Siddaramaiah and he never meant any violence to the Congress chief.
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