BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has put an interim stay on the state government’s decision to withdraw 52 criminal cases, which included seven cases linked to the 2022 Aland communal riot.
Hearing the case of Girish Bhardwaj vs State of Karnataka, the high court observed that, prima facie, the government did not properly exercise Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court noted that the government failed to follow the prescribed legal procedures for the withdrawal of prosecutions as laid down in earlier high court orders. With this interim order, the withdrawal process for all 52 cases remains stalled until the next hearing.
The decision to drop these cases was taken during a cabinet meeting on May 21 under former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The list of cases approved for withdrawal included those registered against Kannada activists, Cauvery water agitators, and Kalasa-Banduri protesters. It also included 10 cases against Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj, alongside cases involving farmers and Dalit activists.
Among the 52 cases, the government’s decision to withdraw seven cases related to the Ladle Mashak Dargah dispute in Aland had triggered the sharpest political row. Law Minister HK Patil had earlier mentioned that court verdicts were still awaited in some of these matters.
The Aland dispute dates back to March 1, 2022, in the Aland taluk of Kalaburagi district. Communal violence erupted after some BJP workers attempted to perform a “purification” ritual of a Shivling inside the Hazrat Ladle Mashak Dargah premises, alleging it had been desecrated. The situation deteriorated rapidly, forcing the administration to impose prohibitory orders. Several police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), were injured in the clashes. A total of 13 cases were registered, out of which the cabinet decided to drop seven.
Defending the move, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had stated that the decision was not specific to Aland, but covered various politically motivated cases against farmers and Kannada outfits, and was taken after securing legal opinion. Home Minister G Parameshwara also stated that a cabinet sub-committee had individually reviewed each case and studied the legal aspects before recommending the withdrawal, asserting that the decision followed detailed deliberations.
However, the opposition BJP strongly criticized the move, terming it “appeasement politics.” Union Minister Pralhad Joshi accused the Congress government of shielding riot accused for vote-bank politics, claiming the government was misleading the public by clubbing communal riot cases with those of farmers and Kannada activists.
BJP State President BY Vijayendra questioned the message the government was sending to society by granting relief to such accused, while BJP MLA Sunil Kumar demanded answers from the government regarding the withdrawal of cases against individuals allegedly linked to the SDPI.
