Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court has dismissed an election code violation case against BJP National President JP Nadda over a speech allegedly made to woo voters during a campaign in Vijayanagar district ahead of the 2023 assembly election in the state.
Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order on a plea by JP Nadda to quash the case filed by the Harapanahalli police station in the matter.
In the public speech, Nadda had remarked that a double-engine government would help central government’s initiatives in Karnataka, and if the BJP does not romp home, voters would lose access to its schemes.
The Election Officer had filed a complaint with the Harapanahalli Police Station over these remarks, leading to the registration of a case for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Nadda’s counsel contended that there was no evidence in the complaint to substantiate the allegation that the BJP leader had enticed or intimidated voters through his alleged speeches.
There was no evidence to indicate that Nadda’s speech had influenced the election results, the Court was told further. Moreover, there were procedural lapses in obtaining permission from the Magistrate to file the case, the counsel argued.
Nadda’s counsel, therefore, contended that the trial court’s decision to admit the case was flawed.
