Karnataka high court stays BJP’s defamationcase against Congress, DK Shivakumar | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The high court Friday provided interim relief to KPCC and its president, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, by granting a stay in the defamation case filed by BJP. The case pertains to an advertisement published on May 5, 2023, criticising the then BJP govt, popularly referred to as the “rate card advertisement.“Justice SR Krishna Kumar also issued a notice to BJP and scheduled the next hearing for July 29. The court previously granted a similar stay to the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Chief minister Siddaramaiah is also named as an accused in the case.KPCC and Shivakumar argued that the legal proceedings were misused, noting that the advertisement did not specifically name BJP. They maintained that the criticism was directed at the state govt rather than a political party, questioning BJP’s standing to file the complaint.In the complaint, BJP contended that the advertisement, published in major newspapers, contained unfounded allegations against it. It claimed the “corruption rate card” advertisement was fabricated and included false accusations. BJP alleged that the advertisement contained damaging implications to the party. It claimed KPCC and other accused conspired to defame BJP through false allegations. The advertisement listed alleged rates for appointments and transfers, which Rahul shared on Twitter. The complaint noted that the advertisement featured Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah soliciting votes for Congress, indicating their direct involvement in the published statements.