'Fight Your Battles Before Electorate' : Supreme Court Rejects Karnataka Govt's Plea For FIR Against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

The bench of CJI BR Gavai and Justice K Vinodchandran was hearing the State Government's challenge to the order of the Karnataka High Court which quashed a case registered against BJP Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya for allegedly spreading 'fake news' regarding the suicide of a farmer in Haveri district.

The bench, while dismissing the petition, cautioned against politicising legal matters before the Court. CJI expressed : 

"What is this? Don't politicise the matter. Fight your battles before the electorate. Dismissed with costs...."

On November 7,2024 Surya had shared an article from Kannada news portals claiming that a farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, had died by suicide after discovering his land had been taken over by the Waqf Board.

The post was later deleted after it was revealed that the claims were unfounded. The Haveri district Superintendent of Police (SP) clarified that the suicide of Rudrappa Channappa Balikai had occurred on January 6, 2022, but was unrelated to any Waqf Board land dispute but was due to financial pressures from crop loss and outstanding loans.

Following which the police registered a suo-motu case under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on November 7, for publishing or circulating statements intended to promote hatred, ill-will, or enmity between different groups.

Case Details : STATE OF KARNATAKA vs. L.S. TEJASVI SURYA| Diary No. - 26570/2025