<p>A special court for cases involving MPs/MLAS has taken cognizance against former minister Priyank Kharge, Congress candidate in Malleswaram assembly constituency Anoop Iyengar, and former Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda in a defamation case filed by Minister for Higher Education Dr C N Ashwath Narayan.</p>.<p>The BJP leader has accused Kharge and two others of defaming him over the Sankey flyover project.</p>.<p>Special court judge J Preeth has taken cognizance and posted the matter to May 4, 2023 for recording the statement of the complainant and his witness, if any. Narayan had filed a private complaint stating that the accused persons had defamed him with their press statements issued and also through social media posts in April 2023.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/vijaya-sankalpa-bjp-reached-out-to-22-lakh-households-1188905.html" target="_blank">Vijaya Sankalpa: BJP reached out to 22 lakh households</a></strong></p>.<p>An FIR was registered on February 19, 2023 against a group of people for holding a protest against the proposed road-widening project along the Sankey Tank Road.</p>.<p>The next day, a group belonging to a political party, too, staged a protest against the project, and another FIR was registered. After a lapse of more than 40 days from the date of the protest and registration of the FIRs, the accused held a press conference on April 2, 2023 and made false allegations against the complainant.</p>.<p>Narayan claimed that these allegations were circulated on digital media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to tarnish his image in view of the elections.</p>.<p>The complainant has made out a prima facie case to take cognizance of the offence under Section 499 IPC, which is punishable under IPC Section 500 and to proceed further, the court said.</p>
<p>A special court for cases involving MPs/MLAS has taken cognizance against former minister Priyank Kharge, Congress candidate in Malleswaram assembly constituency Anoop Iyengar, and former Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda in a defamation case filed by Minister for Higher Education Dr C N Ashwath Narayan.</p>.<p>The BJP leader has accused Kharge and two others of defaming him over the Sankey flyover project.</p>.<p>Special court judge J Preeth has taken cognizance and posted the matter to May 4, 2023 for recording the statement of the complainant and his witness, if any. Narayan had filed a private complaint stating that the accused persons had defamed him with their press statements issued and also through social media posts in April 2023.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/vijaya-sankalpa-bjp-reached-out-to-22-lakh-households-1188905.html" target="_blank">Vijaya Sankalpa: BJP reached out to 22 lakh households</a></strong></p>.<p>An FIR was registered on February 19, 2023 against a group of people for holding a protest against the proposed road-widening project along the Sankey Tank Road.</p>.<p>The next day, a group belonging to a political party, too, staged a protest against the project, and another FIR was registered. After a lapse of more than 40 days from the date of the protest and registration of the FIRs, the accused held a press conference on April 2, 2023 and made false allegations against the complainant.</p>.<p>Narayan claimed that these allegations were circulated on digital media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to tarnish his image in view of the elections.</p>.<p>The complainant has made out a prima facie case to take cognizance of the offence under Section 499 IPC, which is punishable under IPC Section 500 and to proceed further, the court said.</p>