The Karnataka High Court has recently rejected an election code violation case against BJP National President JP Nadda over a speech allegedly made to entice voters during a campaign in Harpanahalli town, Vijayanagar district, prior to assembly elections.
The order was pronounced by Justice M Nagaprasanna in response to a petition submitted by JP Nadda to quash the case initiated by the Harpanahalli police station.
Senior Advocate Uday Holla appeared for JP Nadda.
Previously, during an election campaign gathering organized by the BJP at Harpanahalli’s IB circle in Vijayanagar district on May 7, 2023, JP Nadda delivered an address pertaining to the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections.
In this discourse, he reportedly expressed that a dual-engine government would bolster the implementation of Central government initiatives in the State.
Furthermore, he suggested that failure to secure a BJP victory could potentially impede voters’ access to Central government schemes.
The Election Officer lodged a complaint with the Harpanahalli Police Station, attributing the comments to a breach of the Model Code of Conduct. Consequently, a case was registered.
Nadda’s legal counsel contended that the complaint lacked evidence to validate the assertion that the BJP leader enticed or coerced voters through his purported speeches.
The counsel argued, there was no evidence to indicate that Nadda’s speech influenced the election results.
Moreover, there were procedural lapses in obtaining permission from the Magistrate to file the case.
Therefore, Nadda’s counsel contended that the trial court’s decision to admit the case was flawed.
