Bengaluru, 20 June

The Karnataka High Court has quashed four criminal cases registered against Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal over his alleged objectionable and provocative statements, including the remark about Dinesh Gundu Rao's personal life.

The cases were registered at Gandhi Chowk police station in Vijayapura, Sanjay Nagar police station in Bengaluru, Bailhongal police station in Belagavi district, and Mudhol police station in Bagalkot district.

A single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna allowed the criminal petitions filed by Yatnal seeking to quash the FIRs and related proceedings.

Referring to various Supreme Court judgments, the bench observed that the petitioner's speech did not amount to provocation and ordered that the cases be quashed.

During the last Lok Sabha elections, Yatnal, while speaking to the media in Vijayapura, had allegedly said there is "Pakistan in Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's house." An election duty officer filed a complaint at Vijayapura's Gandhi Chowk police station in April 2024. Dinesh Gundu Rao's wife, Tabu Gundu Rao, filed a separate complaint at Sanjay Nagar police station in Bengaluru over the same remarks.

Two other complaints were filed in September 2024, accusing Yatnal of delivering provocative speeches at Hindu Maha Ganapati immersion programmes in Bailhongal town, Belagavi district, and Mudhol in Bagalkot district.

Challenging all four FIRs, Yatnal had approached the High Court.

On 6 April 2024, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal triggered a controversy after he allegedly referred to Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao as "half-Pakistani" during a media interaction in Vijayapura.

Addressing the media regarding the alleged involvement of a BJP leader in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, Yatnal defended the individual, stating that the man owned a SIM card shop and could not be expected to know the identities of all his customers.

When questioned about Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's statement on the blast case, Yatnal retorted, "Pakistan is in Dinesh Gundu Rao's house. His house is half-Pakistani."

The remarks drew widespread criticism, as the comment allegedly aimed at the Minister's marriage into a Muslim community.