Six Karnataka ministers move court seeking injunction against media houses

Six ministers of the B S Yediyurappa government have moved a city court on Friday, seeking an injunction against newspapers and TV channels from publishing anything defamatory against them.

The six ministers are Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar, Agriculture Minister BC Patil, Cooperation Minister HT Somashekar, Health and Family Welfare, and Medical Education minister K Sudhakar, Municipal Administration minister KC Narayan Gowda and Urban Development minister Bhyrati Basavaraj.

They are among the 17 MLAs of the previous JD(S)-Congress coalition, who rebelled and submitted their resignations. After being disqualified by the Legislative Assembly Speaker under anti-defection law, they were flown to Mumbai and were lodged at a hotel.

Sudhakar confirmed on Twitter that they had approached the court as a "precaution to prevent the telecast of unverified reports". Such reports can tarnish the image cultivated over a lifetime, he said.

In a protracted political drama, they returned after a couple of weeks and joined the BJP. All the six won the re-elections in 2019 and were subsequently inducted to the Cabinet in 2020, along with MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who resigned from the Cabinet recently after a sleaze CD emerged.

Their petition was heard at the Additional City Civil Sessions court on Friday and orders are expected Saturday, March 6.