The Supreme Court on February 19 stayed proceedings against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others in connection with a protest march held in the state in 2022.
A two-judge bench of the SC also stayed the Karanataka High Court order, which refused to quash the criminal case and directed Siddaramiah and other Congress leaders to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each. The HC had also asked the CM and the other leaders to appear before the special court on March 6.
The case was registered after Congress leaders took out a march to lay siege to the then chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's residence in Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of K S Eshwarappa, who was then the rural development and panchayat raj minister in the state. Eshwarappa was accused of abetting the suicide of a Belagavi-based contractor, Sanosh Patil over bribe demands.
Patil was found dead at a lodge in Udupi in April 2022 in a case of suspected suicide. The complaint by his brother Prashanth Patil named minister Eshwarappa and staff members, Ramesh and Basavaraj, as the accused.
In the complaint, Prashanth Patil said in the year 2020-21 residents of Hindalaga village had called on Eshwarappa in the state capital and requested him to lay roads, construct storm water drains, and build pavements in the hamlet.
He further stated that Eshwarappa gave the nod to start work without worrying about the budget, following which Santosh Patil was awarded the contract. The complainant contented that his brother had undertaken works worth Rs 4 crore in the village.
He had invested his money in the project and the bill for the work was pending. Santhosh had visited minister Eshwarappa several times and pleaded him to release the amount.
But his close aides Basavaraj and Ramesh were demanding 40 percent commission, the complaint alleged.
As an aftermath of these allegations, Eshwarappa resigned in April 2022. However, in July 2022, the CID wing of Karnataka Police cleared Eshwarappa on the abetment charges.
(With agency inputs)
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