The Karnataka High Court has quashed an FIR filed against BJP Yuva Morcha president and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya. The FIR, lodged by the Haveri police, was based on a controversial social media post made by Surya concerning a farmer’s suicide in 2022.
The case, registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), stemmed from Surya’s post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where he linked the suicide of farmer Rudrappa to alleged land disputes involving the Karnataka Waqf Board. Surya’s post suggested that the farmer’s tragic death was due to claims related to Waqf Board lands, a connection which the police later clarified was incorrect.
In response to the FIR, Surya filed a petition arguing that the case was politically motivated and baseless. The petition emphasized that the MP’s post was made after the father of the deceased farmer raised concerns about land disputes involving the Waqf Board. However, following an investigation, Haveri Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar clarified that the suicide was due to crop losses and financial strain from loans, not linked to the Waqf Board.
After a series of hearings, Justice M Nagaprasanna’s bench quashed the FIR and granted Surya an interim stay on the proceedings, finding the case without merit. Surya had already deleted the controversial post after the clarification from the police.
Surya’s counsel, senior advocate Aruna Shyam, argued that the post was made in the context of widespread anxiety among farmers due to amendments in land records by the Karnataka Revenue Department. These amendments replaced farmers’ ownership details with the Waqf Board’s name, sparking protests. The state government later withdrew these amendments in response to the unrest.
As a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Surya had earlier visited farmers in Vijayapura with JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal. The visit brought attention to the challenges faced by farmers due to Waqf-related land claims, which Surya had highlighted in his post before it was deleted.
The court’s ruling has brought relief to Surya, who maintains that his intentions were to bring attention to the struggles of farmers rather than to incite any form of controversy.
Sources By Agencies