'Siddaramaiah got Hindu activists killed...' remarks: BJP MLA gets relief from Karnataka HC

Proceedings against BJP MLA Harish Poonja who expressed his frustration with Hindu activists campaigning for Congress party during electioneering for the Karnataka Assembly elections were stayed by the High Court.

Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court has ordered interim stay in the proceedings against a BJP MLA who blamed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the killings of Hindu activists in the State. Harish Poonja, who was elected from the Belthangady constituency in Dakshina Kannada district, sought the Court to quash the entire proceedings against him, claiming that his statement was not meant for stoking communal tensions.

The interim stay was granted when petition came up for hearing before the bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna. Senior advocate Prabhulinga Navadagi, who was representing the lawmaker said went into the technical aspects of cases against the MLA relating to the delay in filing the complaint.

The case was booked under the provision of section 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Indian Penal Code. There were no acts of disturbance of peace have been reported after the purported hate speech was made. The statement was not a provocation as it was dubbed by the prosecution, the counsel argued.

Considering the statements and the circumstantial facts, the bench ordered a stay on the proceedings in the case. Poonja who was campaigning in Karnataka had expressed his helplessness after several Hindu groups including a Hindu activist sided with the Congress which eventually romped to power.

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"You are seeking votes for Siddaramaiah who got 24 Hindu activists killed... You are seeking votes for the Congress which is proposing a ban on Bajrang Dal..." Poonja said in the alleged speech which was labelled communal by a group which began reporting the speech as hate speech in the police stations. Satyajith Surathkal, a Hindu activist, had carried out campaigning for the Congress party.

His public outbursts went viral on social media. Multiple complaints were registered against Poonja in Puttur, Belthangadi and Bantwala police stations. The complainants have maintained that it was not right to make such allegations against the then Opposition leader Siddaramaiah.