Bengaluru: Case filed against former CM HD Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah for opposing I-T raids

The Bangalore Police has lodged an FIR against former Karnataka chief ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy and other top leaders on charges of sedition and defamation for allegedly obstructing I-T officials from discharging their duties.

Bengaluru:Cases have been filed against former Karnataka chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah, former ministers G Parmeshwara and DK Shivakumar, and ex-Bengaluru city police commissioner Suneel Kumar under several Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sedition charge, for allegedly obstructing I-T officials from discharging their duties.

Acting on a private complaint, a local court directed the Bengaluru police to file the FIR.

Commercial Street police station has filed the case under several Sections of the IPC including 217, 176, 121, 177, 506, 153A, 503, 414, 149, 143, 505(2), 124A, 353, 409, 350, 405, 417, 120(A), 416, 171C, 119, 141, 142 and 499.

Mallikarjuna, a social activist from Tumkur had alleged that on March 27, the then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had issued statements to the media that he had received information that I-T officials were preparing to raid houses belonging to some JD(S) leaders.

On March 28 they held a protest opposing the raids on JD(S) and Congress leaders. This amounts to obstructing I-T officials from discharging their duties and this also led to major traffic snarls in the area. The police who were present at the spot did not do anything to stop the protest, the activist stated.