The Karnataka Police has filed an FIR against former Karnataka chief ministers Siddaramaiah and H.D. Kumaraswamy on charges of sedition and defamation for allegedly obstructing income tax officials from discharging their duties. Apart from the former Karnataka chief ministers, senior Congress and JD(S) leaders, including G. Parmeshwara, Dinesh Gundu Rao, L.R. Shivarame Gowda and D.K. Shivakumar, and former Bengaluru city police commissioner Suneel Kumar have also been named in the case filed under IPC sections 121, 149, 153, 353, 405 and 506.
The Bangalore police filed an FIR on Wednesday after the city civil court admitted the plea and issued directions to investigate the matter.
The FIR was lodged on the complaint of one Mallikarjuna, a resident of Gubbi in Tumkur, against Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy and 17 others for staging a protest in March against the Income Tax department. The protestors had alleged that income tax searches on the properties of Congress leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha were "politically motivated". The complainant also alleged the massive protest had disrupted traffic movement in the city.
Reportedly, the complaint also accused Kumaraswamy of leaking information about raids by income tax officials on the premises of the JD(S) and Congress leaders, even before the taxmen could conduct the raids. Kumaraswamy had then alleged that the raids were a "surgical strike" by PM Modi on opposition parties ahead of the general elections.
Reacting to the FIR, Congress leader Shivakumar, who was recently released on bail in an alleged money laundering case, said, "This is all a political vendetta. All cases are being done by these officers and friends of BJP. We know that. We will fight it out politically. We are ready to go to jail, no problem."
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Income tax raids had become a norm in Karnataka in run up to the Lok Sabha elections and even after that. In one such raids in October, the Income Tax Department had seized about Rs 5 crore in cash from an institution run by Parameshwara.
The case comes in the backdrop of Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa warning of legal action against Congress leader K. Siddaramaiah and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy for making statements alleging the 17 disqualified MLAs were bought over by his party. The 17 sitting MLAs' move toppled the coalition government in July and installed the BJP.
Meanwhile, bypolls to 15 Karnataka assembly seats is scheduled to take place on December 5.
(With inputs from Prathima Nandakumar)