Karnataka high court stays FIR against Ravikumar over comments about chief secretary | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Friday stayed the FIR registered against BJP MLC and opposition whip N Ravikumar in relation to a criminal case filed against him for allegedly making certain inappropriate comments about Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh. Justice SR Krishna Kumar indicated in open court that he would pass a detailed order later, recording reasons for granting the interim order. On July 4, the same judge directed the state govt and police to refrain from taking coercive measures against the petitioner.The case against Ravikumar stemmed from alleged disparaging comments about the chief secretary during a demonstration near Vidhana Soudha. The remarks faced criticism from almost all quarters, including the Karnataka IAS Officers’ Association. Ravikumar subsequently issued a clarification denying any inappropriate intentions, explaining that he merely meant to highlight the chief secretary’s busy schedule. One Nagarathna, a social worker, registered the complaint against Ravikumar.In his petition, Ravikumar claimed that the proceedings initiated against him were politically influenced and his comments had a specific context, which the state administration was misinterpreting. According to him, the complainant is neither a victim nor an aggrieved person but a third party, and only to please their political masters, this complaint has been lodged by projecting his comments in a different context altogether.On the other hand, state public prosecutor BA Belliyappa strongly opposed the grant of the interim order, suggesting it would affect public morale. He also pointed out the concerns from female IAS officers and referenced previous controversial statements by Ravikumar.
