Court refuses to discharge Congress leader in casteist abuse case, tells him to face trial

The Karnataka High Court has denied discharge for Congress leader Sirajuddin, also known as Siraj Sheik, in a case of alleged casteist abuse directed at party colleague and former MLA Bhima Naik. Dismissing Sirajuddin’s appeal against a trial court order, Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasized that such abuse is not merely an insult but an affront to constitutional promises of equal citizenship and dignity.

The court ruled that Sirajuddin must face trial. The case was filed under Section 504 (criminal intimidation) and Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on complaints of three alleged instances of casteist abuse. The High Court noted that political dais cannot be used for caste humiliation and that words spoken at political gatherings have a distinctly public character.