‘Can appoint mediator to resolve dispute’: Karnataka HC tells former CM H D Kumaraswamy and IPS officer M Chandrashekar

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 CM held a press conference wherein 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.

The Sanjay Nagar police station in Bengaluru had registered an FIR based on a court direction under Section 224 (threatening a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Chandrashekar filed his complaint in October last year. 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.”

Complying with the oral suggestion, the counsel for the IPS officer Thursday submitted that he was agreeable to compound the case, subject to the petitioners giving an apology and an undertaking that they would not issue such threats to him or his family. The counsel for Kumaraswamy disagreed with the submission.

Following this, the court suggested that the parties be referred to a neutral person for mediation. The bench said, “If it is to be resolved, we can appoint a mediator. Both of you exchange your opinion independently to the mediator, let the mediator suggest. If what the mediator suggests is not acceptable, we will take up the matter.”

Counsels for both sides sought time to seek instruction on the suggestion made by the court. Accordingly, the court has now posted the matter for hearing on March 26.