The Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday questioned the editor of Postcard News, a web portal, in connection with a “fake news” case, officials familiar with the matter said.
State home minister MB Patil filed a case against a local daily on April 16 over an article published on the same date that hinted at a political conspiracy behind the Lingayat separate religion movement by alluding to a letter allegedly written by the Congress leader to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. On April 17, Patil moved the Election Commission against the “fake” letter, calling it “an attempt to polarize voters”.
The purported letter went viral last year before the state assembly elections after Postcard News published an article on it. However, it later pulled down the article, saying it could not “confirm” the authenticity of the letter under question.
Hegde was arrested last year on charges of spreading alleged fake news through social media posts about a Jain monk being attacked by Muslims. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at Hegde’s questioning, calling it “vendetta politics”.