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Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka High Court voids government order withdrawing 43 criminal cases, including Hubballi riots FIRs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Karnataka High Court on Thursday struck down a state government order that had instructed public prosecutors to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots The court's verdict came in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Girish Bharadwaj that challenged the order.A Bench comprising Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind allowed the PIL, declaring the government's directive invalid from the beginning."The government order is set aside. It shall be treated as non est from inception. Legal consequences will follow," the Court said while pronouncing its the judgment in what was his final sitting at the Karnataka High Court, Chief Justice Anjaria, who is slated for elevation to the Supreme Court , expressed gratitude to the legal fraternity."This is my last day on this dais. I thank all lawyers, court staff, and everyone who supported me. This is my final sitting, final pronouncement, and final order here," he said emotionally before announcing the Venkatesh Dalwai, representing the petitioner, argued that the State Government had exceeded its authority by directing prosecutors to file applications under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to withdraw emphasised that the decision to withdraw prosecutions lies solely with the public prosecutor, who must act independently and not at the behest of the Supreme Court rulings, Dalwai argued that prosecutors are not mere intermediaries for government decisions and must evaluate each case on further revealed that both the Law Department and the Prosecution and Government Litigation Department had advised against withdrawing the 43 cases-advice that was ignored by the Home Department , which issued the withdrawal order on October 15, cases selected for withdrawal involved serious offences including rioting, attempted murder, assault on police personnel, and destruction of public them were cases arising from the Hubballi riots, which was triggered by a social media allegedly vandalised a police station and hurled footwear at it during the petitioner also questioned the motivation behind the State's move, pointing out that the cases marked for withdrawal involved politically influential individuals-including former ministers, MLAs, and office-bearers of powerful organizations. The PIL alleged that the list had been selectively curated to serve political ends."Criminal cases registered across Karnataka between 2008 and 2023 were reviewed, and 43 were handpicked for withdrawal. Many of these involved prominent political figures and influential activists, raising serious doubts about the impartiality of the exercise," said the plea.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Unlawful: Karnataka High Court stops government order withdrawing criminal cases
The Karnataka High Court struck down the state government's October 2024 decision to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those linked to the 2022 Old Hubballi riots. The cases involved activists from various organisations, politicians, and other influential High Court's ruling is deemed as a legal setback for the government, which ordered the withdrawal order on October 10. This decision was challenged through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Girish Bharadwaj, who questioned the legality of the division bench led by Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind admitted the PIL and expressed serious concerns over the government's action. In its ruling, the court declared the withdrawal order unlawful and also quashed the follow-up government notification dated October 15, verdict prevents the Karnataka government from proceeding with the withdrawal of these high-profile criminal opposition BJP had earlier criticised Karnataka's move to withdraw the Hubbali riots case, alleging that the Congress government is appeasing the Muslim Leader of Opposition Aravind Bellad slammed the decision, saying, 'These are the people who attacked the police station and the police. They tried to burn the police alive. But the Congress government, to appease the Muslim community and minority votes, is doing this. That is there in the Congress DNA.'Must Watch IN THIS STORY#Karnataka
