Bengaluru, 4 July

The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted interim relief to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and stayed the trial court proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against him by the State BJP unit over "corruption rate card" ads.

The court also granted relief to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), named co-accused in the matter.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar then issued notice to the respondent and made it returnable on 29 July, effectively pausing the ongoing proceedings until further directions.

The defamation case arose after a series of controversial advertisements titled "Corruption Rate Card" were displayed by the Congress in the run-up to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

The BJP has alleged that these advertisements falsely accused it of institutionalising corruption while in power, claiming that appointments and transfers in government departments came with fixed "rates" and "commissions."

The advertisements, published in local newspapers and promoted online, reportedly damaged the saffron party.

Of particular contention is the Congress' reference to the then BJP-led state government as a "trouble engine Sarkar", a wordplay on the BJP's self-description as a "double engine Sarkar".

The complaint specifically names DK Shivakumar and the then Leader of Opposition (LoP) as the individuals responsible for commissioning and approving the advertisements.

It also claims that Rahul Gandhi amplified the alleged defamatory content by posting it on his 'X' (formerly Twitter) account.

Earlier this year, in January, the High Court had granted a similar interim stay on the trial proceedings against Rahul Gandhi in connection with the same case.