Karnataka High Court Stays Defamation Proceedings Against Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar Over Social Media Post

The Karnataka High Court has stayed the proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in relation to a social media post allegedly targeting leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar granted interim relief to Shivakumar while hearing a petition challenging the initiation of criminal proceedings before a trial court. The High Court directed that further proceedings in the case remain stayed until the next hearing.

The complaint was filed by the state unit of the BJP, which alleged that certain social media posts and campaign materials published by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and its leaders contained defamatory allegations against BJP leaders who were part of the previous state government.

According to the complainant, the posts made accusations regarding corruption and “commission” practices during the tenure of the BJP government, which the party argued were false and damaging to its reputation.

Shivakumar approached the High Court seeking quashing of the complaint and the proceedings initiated by the magistrate court. His plea argued that the complaint was politically motivated and that the statements were made in the context of political discourse.

After considering the submissions, the High Court granted an interim stay on the trial court proceedings and issued notice in the matter. The case will be taken up for further consideration at a later date.
The petition remains pending before the High Court.

Discription: The Karnataka High Court has stayed proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over a social media post allegedly targeting leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The complaint was filed by the BJP’s Karnataka unit, claiming that posts published by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and its leaders contained defamatory allegations against members of the previous BJP government. The posts reportedly referred to corruption and “commission” practices during the BJP’s tenure in the state. Shivakumar approached the High Court challenging the complaint and the proceedings initiated before a magistrate court. While hearing the petition, Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar granted interim relief and ordered a stay on further proceedings in the trial court. The Court also issued notice in the matter and scheduled the case for further hearing, leaving the petition pending for consideration.