Supreme Court dismisses Karnataka govt’s plea for FIR against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Karnataka government’s plea challenging the High Court order quashing an FIR against BJP’s Lok Sabha member Tejasvi Surya for his post on social media platform ‘X’ in connection with the death of a farmer in Haveri district.

“Don’t politicise the matter, fight your battles before the electorate”, said a bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinodchandran while refusing to entertain the Karnataka government’s plea. The Karnataka High Court had quashed a case registered against Surya for allegedly spreading ‘fake news’ regarding the suicide of a farmer in Haveri district. Challenging the High Court’s order, the Karnataka government had approached the apex court.

On November 7, 2024, Surya shared an article from Kannada news portals claiming that a farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, had died by suicide after discovering his land had been taken over by the Waqf Board. Later, the post was deleted after it was revealed that the claims were unfounded.

The Haveri district Superintendent of Police clarified that the suicide of the farmer had occurred on January 6, 2022 and it was not related to any Waqf Board land dispute, but was due to financial pressures from crop loss and outstanding loans. On November 7, the police registered a suo motu case under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), for publishing or circulating statements intended to promote hatred, ill-will, or enmity between different groups.

The High Court, last December, while observing that there is no ingredient to attract penal provision against Surya for his post on social media, had said that allowing criminal proceedings against him in such a situation would become “abuse of process of law when there is nothing to investigate”. (ANI)