Bengaluru: Karnataka Police registered an FIR on Tuesday against the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, as per the orders of a local court. The legal action comes after a petition was filed by Lokayukta ADGP and Special Investigation Team (SIT) Chief M. Chandrashekar, accusing Kumaraswamy of defaming and threatening him and his family.

Charges against Kumaraswamy and others

The FIR has been filed by Sanjaynagar Police in Bengaluru, naming H.D. Kumaraswamy, his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and JD(S) party floor leader C.B. Suresh Babu as the accused. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is also a candidate for the Channapatna seat in the upcoming elections, has been named as the second accused in the case, while Suresh Babu is named as the third.

The allegations

ADGP Chandrashekar had earlier filed a complaint with Sanjaynagar Police, accusing Kumaraswamy and his associates of threatening him and his family. Initially, the police had registered the case as a non-cognisable miscellaneous case. However, after Chandrashekar’s legal action, the court directed that an FIR be filed.

Background of the dispute

The conflict between Kumaraswamy and Chandrashekar began when the ADGP sought permission to question Raj Bhavan staff regarding a leak of confidential information related to a file. Kumaraswamy strongly criticised Chandrashekar over this issue, calling him a “criminal” and accusing him of involvement in extortion.

In response, ADGP Chandrashekar wrote a letter to his staff, denying the allegations made by Kumaraswamy and calling them false and malicious. Chandrashekar concluded his letter by quoting playwright George Bernard Shaw’s famous lines, “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

Political tensions escalate

Earlier, defending ADGP Chandrashekar, Home Minister G. Parameshwara had stated, “The police officers will have a mandate of investigation and the SIT has been formed lawfully. They will carry out their duties. If the police work is obstructed, they will have their own procedures to deal with it and they will initiate those steps.”

A delegation of JD(S) MLAs and MLCs, led by C.B. Suresh Babu, submitted a complaint to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Shalini Rajneesh, on September 30. The complaint demanded the removal of M. Chandrashekar from his position as the Lokayukta SIT Chief, further fueling the ongoing standoff between the two sides.

Suresh Babu had stated, “ADGP M. Chandrashekar, who is heading the Lokayukta SIT should be suspended from service and action must be initiated against him by sending a proposal in this regard to the Union Home Ministry from the state government.”

Agency