Bengaluru: The Congress government in Karnataka has decided to initiate a defamation case against the state BJP for allegedly spreading false propaganda regarding its performance, according to an official notification issued on Sunday.
The notification cited alleged misinformation, distortion, and lies propagated by the BJP through its campaign in visual and print media under the title "charge sheet about two years failure of the state government." In response, the BJP has described the move as the beginning of a "second chapter of emergency" in Karnataka.
The government has resolved to file the defamation case in Bengaluru’s 42nd Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. The Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has been authorised to file the complaint on behalf of the government.
To handle the legal proceedings, government prosecutors B S Patil from the 67th City Civil and Sessions Court and Shailaja Nayak from the 61st City Civil and Sessions Court have been appointed. Additionally, Kumata Prakash, Deputy Secretary to the Government, Department of Home (Law and Order), has been tasked with coordinating among all concerned departments and providing full information to the government prosecutors.
In reaction, the BJP condemned the move, accusing the Congress government of using state machinery to intimidate the opposition and media. State BJP President B Y Vijayendra took to the social media platform X to say, "For the first time in Karnataka, a dark notification has been issued to intimidate the opposition party and the media by delegating government machinery and officials."
He further stated, "There is no question of BJP being afraid of any threat from the Congress government. If you think you can silence opposition parties in the name of police and law, it is the height of your foolishness. Your decision to file a defamation case, based on the advice of flatterers and fools, is not only against the BJP but also against the media, taken as an act of revenge."
Vijayendra warned, "The second chapter of the emergency has begun in Karnataka, and the Congress government will soon see that democracy, the people of Karnataka, the opposition parties, and the media have the power to reverse it."
With PTI inputs