The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed cases of two statements filed against BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which was registered for promoting enmity between religious groups during the protests against the Waqf Board and the Congress -led state government. The cases arose from the comments made by Bommai at a BJP rally in November 2024, where he accused the Waqf Board of encroaching the properties of farmers and temples. The quoted statements said that if a stone is thrown in Sawanur, it is the land of Waqf wherever it falls.
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The Shiggaon Police registered cases under Section 196 (1) (A) of the Code of Justice of India (BNS), 2023, which relates to promoting enmity between various groups on religious or other grounds. Bommai challenged cases through two petitions, in which complaints were despised and inspired by politics. Justice SR Krishna Kumar accepted both the petitions and dismissed the case, given that the allegations were vague, baseless, multiple choice and abbreviated. According to the report of the bar and bench, the court further stated that the process of law will be misused.
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The court clarified that this relief is limited to Bommai and does not apply to others named in the FIR. Bommai was represented by the Navadgi of Senior Advocate Prabhuling, while the petitions were filed by advocate Shivprasad Shantanagoudar. The state was represented by Additional Special Public Prosecutor BN Jagdish, who argued that the video evidence revealed that Bommai has committed the crime.