BENGALURU: With regard to a criminal petition seeking action against alleged controversial speech over the celebration of Tipu Jayanti last year, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered a notice to Union Minister of State for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde and MLA C T Ravi.Hearing the petition filed by A Alam Pasha, who is running an NGO in the city, Justice R B Budihal ordered a notice to both the BJP leaders.
At first, Pasha moved the magistrate court by filing a private complaint against Ananth Kumar Hegde and Ravi. But the court rejected the complaint on the ground that the prior permission from the competent authority was not taken to initiate criminal proceedings against them.
Therefore, Pasha filed a criminal petition before the High Court seeking action against them on the charges of promoting feelings of enmity, committing the act which is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious, assertions prejudicial to national integration and deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class.