Karnataka SIR: HC halts investigation against Ravi Patil

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ordered a temporary halt to the investigation against BJP leader Ravi Patil and two associates accused of attempting to remove 198 Muslim voters from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Belagavi.

Justice Venkatesh Naik T issued the interim direction on Tuesday, noting that a coordinate Bench had granted similar protection to accused persons in comparable cases on October 9. Considering the similarity between the cases, the court said it was appropriate to follow the earlier decision in the interest of judicial discipline.

“The coordinate Bench had stayed the investigation in similar matters on 09.10.2026. The perusal of the aforesaid order and the facts and circumstances involved in the present case are similar. In view of maintaining judicial discipline, it is just and proper to stay the investigation till the next date of hearing,” the order stated.

The court clarified that the State government could approach it for modification or vacation of the interim protection, should it find sufficient grounds to do so.

Senior advocate M Aruna Shyam, representing Patil and the other petitioners, told the court that investigations in similar cases had already been stayed by another Bench. The submission formed part of the petitioners’ plea for interim relief.

The latest order follows an earlier development on October 8, when another Bench directed the police not to take coercive action against Patil and his two supporters in connection with the case.

The FIR alleges that the petitioners, along with approximately 20 to 25 other individuals, conspired to target voters from the Muslim community and sought the deletion of 198 names from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.

The case has drawn attention amid legal and political disputes surrounding the electoral roll revision process in Karnataka. The allegations against the BJP leader and his associates remain subject to judicial proceedings.

The interim order suspends the investigation until the next hearing but does not amount to a final determination of the allegations.

The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for October 29, when the matter is expected to be taken up again.