Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah moves SC seeking quashing of criminal case against him over protest march

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court seeking a direction for quashing the criminal proceedings initiated against him and other leaders for a protest march organised on February 14, 2022 in Bengaluru.Lawyers connected to the case and Supreme Court registry officials said that the matter is likely to be heard by the apex court within a week or two.Siddaramaiah said that the protest march was organised to demand the resignation of the then Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa following the alleged death of a civil contractor. He also demanded the setting up of a commission to oversee the entire issue.The Karnataka HC in its order on February 6, 2024, dismissed his plea to quash the criminal proceedings and also slapped a cost of Rs 10,000, forcing him to knock the doors of the Supreme Court for relief.Siddaramaiah, in his appeal filed before the top court, said none of the ingredients of the offences alleged were made out against him. The present proceedings against him are nothing but an abuse of the process of law and would lead to undue harassment, on the basis of vague allegations, he claimed.He stated that the High Court had failed to ascertain whether the prosecution of the petitioner would be legitimate in the given circumstances.The plea of Siddaramaiah contended before the top court that the HC lost sight of the fact that the assembly did not lead to any violence or use of criminal force to present an imminent threat to the public at large or to the members of the then ruling dispensation or any public servant.Claiming innocence in the case, he said that the incident lasted for almost an hour and no violent action or use of criminal force has been alleged against any of the members of the procession.Questioning the action of the prosecution, he said in his petition that it cannot be allowed to continue as no allegation of criminality has been attributed to any of the members of the assembly.

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