Fri Dec 13 07:33:37 UTC 2024: ## Karnataka High Court Quashes FIR Against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

**Bengaluru, December 13, 2024** – The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against Tejasvi Surya, BJP Yuva Morcha president and Bengaluru South MP. The FIR, registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) by Haveri police, stemmed from a social media post by Mr. Surya linking a farmer’s suicide to alleged land claims by the Karnataka Waqf Board.

Mr. Surya’s petition argued the FIR was politically motivated and baseless. Justice M. Nagaprasanna’s bench, after granting an interim stay, quashed the case following detailed hearings. Mr. Surya’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam, stated that the MP’s post on X (formerly Twitter) followed a complaint from the deceased farmer’s father regarding land disputes with the Waqf Board.

While Mr. Surya’s post initially alleged a connection between the suicide and Waqf Board land claims, Haveri Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar later clarified that the farmer, Rudrappa, who died in January 2022, took his own life due to crop failure and debt. Following this clarification, Mr. Surya removed the post.

Ms. Shyam also highlighted concerns over amendments made by the Karnataka Revenue Department, which allegedly replaced farmers’ ownership details with the Waqf Board’s name in various districts. These changes, she explained, caused widespread farmer anxiety, leading to protests and the government’s subsequent withdrawal of the amendments. Mr. Surya’s involvement as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and his visit to affected farmers with JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal were also cited as context for the now-deleted post.

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