HC reserves order on Surya’s plea to quash FIR in fake news case

The HC reserved its decision on a plea by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya seeking to quash the FIR registered against him for allegedly spreading fake news concerning the suicide of a farmer in Haveri district

The Karnataka high court on Thursday reserved its decision on a plea by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya seeking to quash the FIR registered against him for allegedly spreading fake news concerning the suicide of a farmer in Haveri district.

The controversy stems from a social media post by Tejasvi Surya on November 8, where he alleged that a farmer in Haveri had taken his life after his land was appropriated by the Waqf board (HT PHOTO)

Hearing the case, justice M Nagaprasanna said there was a need to avoid politicising sensitive issues in court. Addressing the parties, the judge remarked, “A life is lost. A farmer’s son commits suicide due to alleged debts or whatever. And all of you are playing politics over it. Those things are being fought elsewhere. Let us not politicise it here. A court is not the platform for your politics.”

The controversy stems from a social media post by Surya on November 8, where he alleged that a farmer in Haveri had taken his life after his land was appropriated by the Waqf board. Surya’s post on X said: “A farmer in Haveri commits suicide after finding his land taken over by Waqf! In their haste to appease minorities, CM Siddaramaiah and Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan have unleashed catastrophic effects in Karnataka that are becoming impossible to contain with every passing day.” He also shared a link to a local news story making similar claims.

Following this, the Haveri police clarified that the suicide was due to mounting debts and not related to the Waqf Board. After this, Surya was booked under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly spreading fake news.

Surya’s counsel, senior advocate Aruna Shyam, argued in court that the MP had deleted the contentious post immediately after its authenticity was questioned and had no intention of inciting unrest. However, the state government contended that the post falsely implicated the Congress government in the farmer’s death, accusing Surya of politicising the tragedy.

The court has reserved its verdict on the plea, indicating it will focus on whether the FIR’s charges meet the legal requirements under Section 353(2) of the BNS. Earlier, on November 14, the High Court had temporarily stayed the FIR against Surya while hearing the case.