Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy agrees to mediation in dispute with IPS officer M Chandrashekar

“We will suggest somebody (mediator). If either of you suggest (a mediator) there could be some misgivings. Let there be an even-handed dealing. We will nominate somebody who can handle this,” Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav said.

The court orally emphasised that mediation has nothing to do with adjudication. “I feel that you do not have to spend so much time on such matters,” the court said.

The court adjourned the case to April 2, when it will choose “somebody appropriate”. “In principle, if you have agreed for mediation, then rest you leave it to us. It is a win-win for both parties,” Justice Dutt said in an oral observation.

Chandrashekar, who heads the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team (SIT) and is investigating illegal mining cases in which Kumaraswamy is an accused, had alleged that on September 28 and 29, 2024, the former Karnataka chief minister held a press conference where he made false accusations and issued threats. Kumaraswamy has also allegedly accused Chandrashekar of bribery and falsifying documents to remain in the Karnataka IPS cadre.

After Chandrashekar filed a complaint in October last year, the Sanjay Nagar police station in Bengaluru registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on a court direction under Section 224 (threatening a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Thereafter, Kumaraswamy and others moved the high court seeking to quash the FIR.

In the previous hearing on February 12, the court had suggested, “If it is compoundable, both of you can ‘bury the hatchet’. Sometimes, remarks are made, the media is the only beneficiary. TRPs will go on and on and keep on increasing. There may have been something, and I do not deny it, and you may be aggrieved. If it is open on just terms, there could be a closure.”