A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy over alleged defamatory statements made against senior IPS officer M Chandrasekhar, who is investigating an illegal mining case linked to the former Karnataka Chief Minister.
The complaint was filed by Chandrasekhar, who leads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on illegal mining cases, with Sanjay Nagar police. The FIR, registered on Monday, November 4, cites alleged statements by Kumaraswamy, his son, and JD(S) leader Suresh Babu during press conferences on September 28 and 29, where the former Chief Minister accused Chandrasekhar of bribery and threatened to transfer him out of the Karnataka cadre, according to the police.
Kumaraswamy, who served as Karnataka's Chief Minister from 2006 to 2008, is also accused of unlawfully approving a 550-acre mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) in Bellary district. Chandrasekhar's complaint states that the SIT gathered evidence and submitted a report on November 21 seeking the Governor's approval to prosecute Kumaraswamy.
The complaint also alleges that Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the BJP-JD(S) candidate for the Channapatna Assembly bypoll, publicly repeated the accusations, and Babu filed a letter with the Chief Secretary seeking action against Chandrasekhar, which was later shared on social media.
In response to the FIR, Kumaraswamy called the allegations "ridiculous and malicious" and said the complaint was politically motivated. The case has been registered under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to threats against a public servant, following a directive from the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.