Karnataka HC stays BJP's defamation case over ads against CM Siddaramaiah

The Karnataka HC stays trial in BJP's defamation case against CM Siddaramaiah over Congress ads that called previous Bommai government a '40% commission sarkar' and alleged ₹1,500 crore corruption

The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed a defamation case filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Bar and Bench reported. The case relates to newspaper advertisements published by Congress leaders, which allegedly defamed the previous BJP-led government in the state. 

Siddaramaiah is one of several Congress leaders accused in the case, which centres on claims made in political advertisements during the 2023 Assembly election campaign. 

The High Court had earlier awarded interim relief to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and DK Shivakumar, as well as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). 

Justice SR Krishna Kumar stayed the trial court’s proceedings against Siddaramaiah and combined his petition to quash the case with those filed by the other accused. The court also issued a notice to the BJP, seeking its response to Siddaramaiah’s plea, Bar and Bench reported.     

  Case alleges derogatory remarks in Congress ads

The defamation complaint was filed against the Indian National Congress (INC), KPCC, and several party leaders. The BJP has alleged that the Congress was responsible for publishing advertisements containing defamatory remarks about its governance during 2019–2023. 

According to the complaint, the ads accused the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government of widespread corruption, referring to it as a ‘40 per cent commission sarkar’. The term suggested that commissions were demanded in return for awarding public works contracts, procurement deals, and even for Covid-19 related supplies. 

The controversial advertisements further alleged that the BJP-led government looted around ₹1,500 crore through corrupt means. They also claimed a system of ‘score cards’ and ‘rate cards’ was in place — allegedly referring to bribes for government jobs and postings. 

Similar ‘40 per cent’ allegation was also reportedly made by Rahul Gandhi during a public speech. The High Court is now examining all related petitions, and a final decision on whether to quash the case is awaited.