The Karnataka government has withdrawn 52 criminal cases, including those linked to the 2022 Ladle Mashak Dargah communal incident in Aland, Kalaburagi, a move that has stirred controversy. Additionally, several decades-old cases against pro-Kannada activists, farmers, protesters, and citizens booked during the Covid-19 lockdown have been scrapped.
Oldest case withdrawn
One of the oldest cases withdrawn dates back to June 20, 2006, against TA Narayan Gowda, founder of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (Narayan Gowda faction), and three others. According to officials, the accused allegedly violated Section 144 restrictions by gathering at Basaveshwara Circle in Bengaluru during the peak of the Cauvery water-sharing agitation. They were accused of damaging the rear window of a government vehicle while raising slogans against the then Congress-JD(S) government.
Cauvery protest cases
Multiple cases related to the 2016 Cauvery protests in Mysuru and Mandya were also withdrawn. One case involved violence in which around 150 to 200 members of pro-Kannada organisations allegedly gheraoed 22 police personnel and staff travelling along the Magadi-Bengaluru Main Road. Protesters were accused of setting tyres on fire, blocking traffic movement between Bengaluru, Mysuru and Tamil Nadu, and pelting stones at police vehicles. No injuries were reported in these incidents.
Covid-19 lockdown cases
The government also withdrew cases filed against members of the public for allegedly violating Covid-19 lockdown protocols in 2021 and 2022. One case was registered against residents of Gundepalli village in Kalaburagi district, where 100 to 150 villagers were booked for allegedly gathering in groups with stones and sticks, without maintaining social distancing or wearing masks, while protesting the establishment of a Covid care centre in the village.
Recent case from 2023
The most recent case withdrawn dates to 2023, when members of a Scheduled Tribe community protested in Belagavi demanding an increase in reservation from 3% to 7%, in line with the recommendations of the Justice HH Nagamohan Das Committee report.
Vatal Nagaraj cases
Of the total 52 cases withdrawn, 10 involve pro-Kannada activist and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj. The offences vary from alleged violations of Covid-19 lockdown norms to protests on issues ranging from opposition to Maharashtra Ekikarna Samiti (MES) to anti-Hindi demonstrations, protests on the hike in LPG cylinder prices, and demands to rename Tipu Sultan Express as Wodeyar Express. Officials say these protests were held at Mysuru Bank Circle in Bengaluru without prior permission from authorities.
