Withdraw Case Against Sonia Gandhi On PM CARES Tweets: DK Shivakumar To BS Yediyurappa

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa demanding the withdrawal of the case registered against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over tweets by the party on PM CARES Fund.

In his letter to the Chief Minister, state Home Minister, Director General of Police and Shivamogga Superintendent of Police, Mr  Shivakumar also sought suspension of the cop who registered the FIR in the matter.

"We hereby demand your goodself to withdraw the said FIR and to suspend the said police officer immediately. We also urge you to register an FIR against the said police officer for misusing the process of law in the interest of justice and equality," Mr Shivakumar said in the letter.

He said that the case was registered against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on the complaint of a BJP activist advocate KV Praveen Kumar in Shivamogga district.

"The complainant has filed this complaint with a political motive on false information stating that Sonia Gandhiji has tweeted stating that Prime Minister has been misusing the Prime Minister CARES Fund," Mr Shivakumar said.

"Sonia Gandhi, being an MP and Congress President, had tweeted with the intention of forcing the Prime Minister to use the CARES fund for the welfare of the people of the country," he added.

DK Shivakumar said that the tweets were "misinterpreted" by the BJP leadership and it "instigated" Praveen Kumar to file a complaint against Sonia Gandhi "based on false information without examining its truthfulness".

He also said that the registration of case against Sonia Gandhi by police was a blatant misuse of the process of law with an intention to snub the right to healthy criticism.

A case has been registered against Sonia Gandhi in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga district of Karnataka over tweets on May 11 by the party's official handle about PM-CARES fund.

According to the case filed, registered under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Congress party had on May 11, 2020, made false and baseless allegations, claimed misappropriation of PM-CARES Fund and cast aspersions on the central government.