CM Siddaramaiah: Karnataka HC Stays Defamation Case Over "40% Sarkar" Ads
The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed trial court proceedings against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a criminal defamation case filed by the State BJP unit over allegedly defamatory newspaper advertisements calling the previous BJP government a “40% commission sarkar.”
The Single Judge Bench of Justice S R Krishna Kumar issued notice to the respondent and passed an interim order staying the proceedings before the trial court.
The High Court has also tagged Siddaramaiah’s plea with earlier petitions filed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who were granted similar interim relief earlier.
The defamation case arises from Congress advertisements published during the 2023 Assembly elections, accusing the BJP-led State government (2019–2023) of large-scale corruption.
The BJP filed a complaint after a series of advertisements published by the Congress ahead of polling day in 2023, alleging large-scale corruption during the BJP-led government’s tenure from 2019 to 2023.
The ads, widely circulated in leading newspapers, featured a “corruption rate card” detailing alleged bribe amounts for government transfers, tenders, and contracts.
While the Congress campaign accused the BJP of running a corrupt administration, the BJP dismissed the allegations as false and defamatory, prompting the party to file a criminal defamation case naming top Congress leaders as accused.
Case Title: Siddaramaiah v. Bharatiya Janta Party