The Karnataka high court on Friday stayed all proceedings pending before a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed against chief minister Siddaramaiah by the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Justice SR Krishna Kumar stayed proceedings against Siddaramaiah, after noting that several other Congress leaders, including deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, named in the same case have already been granted relief by the high court.
The defamation case, filed by BJP leader Keshav Prasad, pertains to advertisements and campaign slogans used by the Congress party ahead of the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. In the advertisements, the Congress accused the then-ruling BJP of demanding up to 40% commission or bribes from contractors and others involved in public works.
The BJP, in its complaint, had accused Congress leaders of spreading false advertisements targeting its party members, including then chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, who appeared for Siddaramaiah, told the court on Friday that the case against the chief minister was “misconstrued.”
{{/usCountry}}Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, who appeared for Siddaramaiah, told the court on Friday that the case against the chief minister was “misconstrued.”
{{/usCountry}}All the key Congress leaders named in the case—Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, and Shivakumar—were granted bail by a Bengaluru court in June 2023.
The high court had stayed proceedings against Shivakumar in the same case on July 4, 2025. In January 2025, a bench led by justice M Nagaprasanna had stayed the proceedings against Gandhi.