On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition challenging the Karnataka High Court’s December 3, 2024, decision that quashed criminal proceedings related to extortion against Naleen Kumar Kateel, the then state BJP president, regarding the Electoral Bonds Scheme.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar dismissed the plea filed by Adarsh R Iyer of ‘Janaadhikaaara Sangharsha Parishath’, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan. The court emphasized that without concrete evidence, it would not allow a broad inquiry into the matter. “We are not inclined to interfere with the high court order,” the bench remarked.
Iyer had argued that a criminal case shouldn’t be dismissed in such a manner. However, the court clarified that the dismissal of this case did not preclude the filing of other cases or FIRs in the future, provided they were supported by substantial evidence.
The Karnataka High Court had earlier quashed the proceedings against Kateel, who was accused of criminal conspiracy and extortion for allegedly pressuring businesses to buy electoral bonds in favor of his party. The court found that the complainant had no connection to the transactions and lacked the standing to file the complaint.
Kateel had contested the FIR lodged by Tilak Nagar police in Bengaluru, which also named Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Directorate of Enforcement (ED) officials, BJP office bearers, and others. Iyer, a Bengaluru-based activist, claimed that ED officers had coerced corporate entities into purchasing electoral bonds worth several crores under duress.
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