Karnataka High Court Quashes BJP Defamation Case Against Congress

The Karnataka High Court quashed a criminal defamation complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). The ruling provides final relief to the Congress leaders following previous stays of proceedings and the earlier quashing of the case against Rahul Gandhi in February.

The legal dispute originated from newspaper advertisements and campaigning conducted before the 2023 state assembly elections. These materials accused the previous BJP-led government, headed by Basavaraj Bommai, of operating a "40 per cent commission sarkar." The advertisements featured a "Corruption Rate card," alleging that the administration looted 1,500 crore rupees from the public and charged bribes for government appointments and transfers.

The BJP argued that these claims were based on "fanciful imagination" and were designed to malign the party's reputation. Conversely, the petitioners contended that the complaint was a tool for harassment. They further argued that the BJP lacked legal standing because the corruption allegations targeted specific government officials rather than the political party as an institution.