Karnataka Cabinet decides to drop ’22 Hubballi violence case, 59 others

The case against Renukacharya was filed in 2020, after the former BJP MLA at a public event had accused minorities of hoarding weapons and cultivating a ‘culture of terrorism’

Other cases withdrawn include one where the police were assaulted during the protests against farm laws at Gadag in 2020. (File)

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw 60 cases, including the 2022 Hubballi violence case and an alleged hate speech case against former BJP MLA M P Renukacharya.

The Hubballi case was related to a derogatory post against Islam by a man, who was later arrested. According to the FIR, a large number of people arrived at the police station on April 16, 2022 and demanded that the accused be handed over to them. The situation soon escalated leading to stone-pelting at the police station and tension across the city.

During a meeting on Thursday, the state Cabinet decided to withdraw the case following a petition by members of the relief committee of Anjuman-e-Islam organisation and D B Chalawady, head of an association of various Dalit organisations in Hubballi.

On Friday, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the Congress-led state’s decision as “height of appeasement”. “Unfortunately, the Congress party in Karnataka has reached the height of appeasement. They have withdrawn the UAPA case, when the matter is before the NIA court. In normal course, as far as I know, the state cannot withdraw it but still they have withdrawn it. This is the height of appeasement,” Joshi said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “The government has the powers to withdraw some cases. There is a Cabinet subcommittee under Home Minister’s leadership, as per their discretion they have taken the decision and the Cabinet has approved it. I will see what it is.”

Another case that the Cabinet decided to withdraw is the one against Renukacharya filed in 2020 after the former BJP MLA at a public event accused Muslims of hoarding weapons inside mosques and cultivating a “culture of terrorism”. Renukacharya had also said that he would divert funds meant for Muslim localities to Hindu neighbourhoods, which had triggered a row.

The other cases include one related to a college student whose hijab was pulled by two other students during the hijab row in 2022. The incident at Harihar in Davanagere district had stoked communal tensions.

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The Cabinet also decided to withdraw a 2022 case at Aland, Kalaburagi district, filed against a pro-Hijab protest under AIMIM leader Zaheeruddin Ansari.
Some of the other cases include those registered against farmer leaders for various protests. –

With PTI inputs

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