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SC stays trial against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in 2022 illegal protest case
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's trial stayed by Supreme Court in protest case.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial proceedings against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a political protest case of 2022 where he along with 35 others including Congress leader RS Surjewala were accused of holding an unlawful assembly.
ALSO READ | Siddaramaiah moves SC seeking quashing of criminal case over 2022 protest
The Karnataka CM had approached the top court after the Karnataka High Court rejected his petition to quash the case on February 6. He was directed to face trial before the special MP/MLA court in the state on February 26.
The Congress stalwart, along with other leaders including his cabinet colleagues M B Patil (Minister of Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development) and Ramalinga Reddy (Transport Minister) as well as senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, are all accused of having participated in an “illegal” protest in 2022, demanding the arrest of the then state minister K S Eshwarappa over the Santhosh Patil suicide case.
The protest had occurred inside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru in April 2022, shortly after the civil works contractor, Santhosh Patil, was found dead in a lodge in Udupi.
ALSO READ | Karnataka HC fines CM Siddaramaiah, Cong leaders ₹10,000 over illegal protest in Santhosh Patil suicide case
In this light, a single judge bench of the Karnataka High Court had dismissed the petition filed by the CM seeking to quash the criminal case lodged against them. It had also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on those involved and issued summons to the Congress leaders.
The CM had then moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday, challenging the high court order.
