Karnataka High Court Quashes Defamation Complaint Against Congress Leaders Over Election Advertisements

The Karnataka High Court has quashed the private defamation complaint against Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the Congress’ ‘corruption rate card’ advertisements targeting the BJP government ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order, bringing relief to the two senior Congress leaders. The detailed copy of the judgment is yet to be released. The complaint was filed by BJP leader Keshav Prasad following advertisements published by the KPCC in local newspapers during the Assembly election campaign. The advertisements accused the BJP government of collecting commissions for appointments and transfers across various departments. The Congress campaign had alleged that the BJP government operated through a system of fixed rates for government services and appointments. It also coined the phrase ‘Trouble Engine Government’ to counter the BJP’s ‘Double Engine Government’ slogan. The BJP strongly objected to the advertisements, alleging that the Congress had published false and defamatory claims to tarnish its reputation and influence the outcome of the elections. It maintained that the allegations were imaginary and lacked factual basis. The trial court had taken cognisance of the complaint in 2023, initiating criminal defamation proceedings against the Congress leaders. The latest order is part of a series of developments in the case. On July 4, the High Court stayed proceedings against Shivakumar, who was then serving as Deputy Chief Minister. The KPCC had also obtained similar relief. In January this year, the High Court had stayed the proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the same matter. The BJP had contended that the advertisements were deliberately designed to portray its government as corrupt and undermine its electoral chances. The Congress leaders had challenged the proceedings before the High Court. With the complaint now quashed against Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, the ruling marks another significant development in the legal battle arising from the 2023 election campaign. The detailed order is expected to provide further clarity on the court’s reasoning.