In a relief to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Karnataka High Court has temporarily halted the investigation against involvement in an electoral bond extortion case. The court's decision was based on Section 286 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which requires specific elements, including a direct threat and a complaint from the affected party, to constitute extortion.
The court observed that these essential elements were missing in the complainant's petition, which alleged that central agencies, such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), coerced companies into buying electoral bonds. The magistrate's order, according to the court, failed to consider the specifics of extortion.
This interim order will remain in effect until the next hearing, scheduled for October 22. Ahead of the court's decision, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called for Sitharaman's resignation on moral grounds.
The case has sparked controversy, with the complainant, Adarsh Iyer, alleging that Sitharaman and other senior BJP leaders, including JP Nadda and Naleen Kumar Kateel, were involved in the accumulation of illicit funds through the electoral bond scheme. The BJP has maintained that electoral bonds are a policy matter and that the charges are politically motivated.
The development has also led to a war of words between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and senior BJP leaders. The Congress leader faces calls for resignation after the Lokayukta Police filed an FIR against him in connection with the alleged MUDA land allotment scam' .