JP Nadda approached the court after facing charges for allegedly making statements during which he implied that voters would lose access to Central government programs if the BJP failed to win the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections.
The Karnataka High Court dismissed the election code violation case against JP Nadda, the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case was related to a speech he allegedly made during the previous assembly elections in Harpanahalli town, Vijayanagar district, aiming to attract voters.
Justice M Nagaprasanna issued the order in response to JP Nadda’s petition seeking the dismissal of the case filed by the Harpanahalli police station. The representation on behalf of JP Nadda was made by Senior Counsel Uday Holla.
During a BJP campaign rally held at Harpanahalli’s IB circle in Vijayanagar district on May 7, 2023, JP Nadda spoke about the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. Reports suggest that he mentioned how having a dual-engine government would support the Central government’s initiatives in the state. He also warned that if the BJP did not secure victory in the elections, the electorate might lose access to Central government programs.
Following these statements, the Election Officer filed a complaint with the Harpanahalli Police Station, leading to the registration of a case for an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Nadda’s legal representative argued that the complaint lacked sufficient evidence to support the allegation that JP Nadda’s purported speeches had influenced or intimidated voters. Additionally, it was presented to the Court that there was no evidence indicating that Nadda’s speech had any impact on the election results. Moreover, the attorney contended that there were procedural flaws in obtaining the magistrate’s permission to file the case.
Consequently, Nadda’s attorney asserted that the trial court’s decision to accept the case was flawed.
