India

SC upholds relief to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya in criminal case

Surya was alleged to have disseminated fake news on a farmer’s suicide in state’s Haveri district.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Karnataka government’s plea against a high court order quashing the criminal case against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.

“What is this? Don’t politicise the matter. Fight your battles before the electorate,” a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran said.

Surya was alleged to have disseminated fake news on a farmer’s suicide in state’s Haveri district.

The bench dismissed the appeal of the state government and cautioned its against politicisation of legal proceedings.

The case stemmed from a post shared by Surya on November 7, 2024, in which he cited a report from Kannada news portals claiming that a farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, had died by suicide after discovering that his land had been taken over by the Waqf Board

.

The post was subsequently deleted after it emerged that the claim was unfounded.

This post was last modified on July 21, 2025 3:03 pm

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Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s premier news agency, having a reach as vast as the Indian Railways. It employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.

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