Can’t make such statements, apologise to Kalaburagi DC: Karnataka HC to BJP MLC

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday orally asked BJP MLC N Ravikumar to apologise to Kalaburagi deputy commissioner Fouzia Tarannum for his remarks against her. 

A vacation bench presided over by Justice Suraj Govindaraj said this while hearing Ravikumar’s petition challenging the FIR registered against him. 

During a BJP protest on May 24, Ravikumar had accused the IAS officer of working on the orders of the Congress party and remarked: “She seems to have come from Pakistan.” 

On May 26, the Station Bazaar police in Kalaburagi registered an FIR against Ravikumar under BNS sections 197, 224, 299, 302, 351, 353, as well as Section 3 (1) (r) of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 

The court orally said: “These are not the statements to be made. You have seen what happened in Madhya Pradesh and the Supreme Court with a sitting minister. You are no different. You cannot make such statements,” Justice Govindaraj said. 

The advocate for the petitioner argued that since there was no reference to the caste or community in the statement, the provision of the Atrocities Act could not have been attracted. 

It was also submitted that Kumar had apologised. To this, the court said orally: “After making the statement, the apology has to be accepted by the person. You make the apology to the lady in question and let her accept it and then we will consider this, not until then.” 

On the other hand, additional state public prosecutor B N Jagadeesha said that the written complaint captured only half of the video’s content. 

The court ordered notices returnable by June 19 and directed the government advocate to submit the relevant videos in a pen drive. The court recorded the assurance that no coercive action would be taken against the petitioner provided he cooperated in the investigation. 

The court asked the advocate for the petitioner to advise his client to bring closure to the matter and not to escalate it.

“It should not have happened in the first place. Now that it has happened, mitigate it,” the court remarked.