The Congress-led Karnataka has decided to withdraw 42 criminal cases, including multiple cases linked to the 2022 clashes at the disputed Ladle Mashak Dargah in Aland town of Kalaburagi district, attracting strong objections from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Among the withdrawn cases are 13 cases connected to the communal violence that erupted after allegations surfaced that a Shivling inside the dargah had been desecrated. The incident had triggered major tension in the area after a group of Hindu activists allegedly attempted to enter the dargah premises to clean the Shivling.
Several vehicles were damaged during the violence, including official vehicles and those linked to political leaders. The car windows of Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba and the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner were also vandalised.
Sources said the home department had initially opposed the move to withdraw the riot-related cases, citing adverse legal opinions and objections against dropping prosecution in a sensitive communal violence matter.
However, a Cabinet sub-committee later approved the withdrawal, effectively overruling earlier departmental objections and legal concerns. The proposal was subsequently placed before the Cabinet, which cleared the decision during its meeting yesterday.
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Violence Encouraged, Says BJP
Reacting sharply to the move, BJP spokesperson S. Prakash accused the Congress government of encouraging violent elements.
"This is the third time the Congress government is withdrawing serious cases in the state. Cases linked to rioting and attempts to burn police stations were also withdrawn earlier. Previous withdrawals were challenged in court, and stay orders were issued. The government has not learned any lessons from the experience," he said.
Prakash further alleged that the decision may have been taken under pressure from senior Congress leaders.
"The move may have happened under pressure from Priyank Kharge or Mallikarjun Kharge. By withdrawing such cases, the government is encouraging such elements to indulge in violence," he alleged.
Defending the Cabinet's decision, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said every case had been examined individually.
"In the Cabinet Sub-Committee, every case was discussed individually to examine whether it could be legally withdrawn. The committee concluded that there was legal scope to withdraw certain cases. Around 52 cases involving various organisations across the state were reviewed," he said.
"The matter was placed before the Cabinet yesterday, and the Cabinet decided that those cases could be withdrawn. I will not go into the details of the dargah case. It was a Cabinet decision to withdraw it. All those aspects were considered and discussed before the decision was taken. It was not a sudden decision," he added.
Minister Satish Jarkiholi also defended the government and criticised the BJP's allegations.
"There are various cases we withdrew. There are Muslims, farmers, leaders of political parties and various others involved in different cases. Whenever controversies like this happen, they say only Muslims are directly benefited. It is their standard allegation," Jarkiholi said.
