On May 22, the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, decided to withdraw prosecution in 52 criminal cases, but the Karnataka High Court has now stayed this decision. The cases include those related to the Aland Ladle Mashak Dargah riots in Kalaburagi district. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha passed the interim order in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by Girish Bharadwaj. The petitioner argued that the state had withdrawn the cases in violation of established legal procedure and the Karnataka High Court’s 2025 judgment. Senior advocate Venkatesh Dalwai, representing the petitioner, contended that the decision was politically motivated. The court observed that the government’s action appeared to be contrary to its earlier directions governing the withdrawal of criminal cases. The cases proposed to be withdrawn include 10 against veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj and seven related to the 2022 communal violence at the Ladle Mashak Dargah. The Opposition BJP had criticised the decision, calling it 'vote-bank and appeasement politics'. The High Court will continue hearing the PIL in the coming days.
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📰 Source: Mangalorean News