In a significant legal development, the Karnataka High Court has quashed the FIR against BJP State President B Y Vijayendra, who was implicated in an alleged extortion scheme involving electoral bonds. The court’s decision comes after a similar ruling in favor of Nalin Kumar Kateel, the former State BJP President, earlier this month.
The FIR, lodged by Bengaluru police in September, was based on a complaint by city activist Adarsh R Iyer. It accused several high-profile individuals, including Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, certain Enforcement Directorate officials, and other BJP office-bearers at both state and national levels, of participating in an extortion racket. The complaint alleged that the scheme was orchestrated under the guise of electoral bonds, primarily to extort money.
At the time the FIR was registered, Vijayendra held the position of BJP Vice President. The complaint triggered a legal examination of the charges, which included extortion (Section 384), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), and common intention (Section 34) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The Karnataka High Court, in its ruling, did not provide specific details on the reasoning behind the quashing of the FIR but effectively ended the legal troubles for Vijayendra regarding this case. This decision is seen as a relief for the BJP leader, who has maintained his innocence throughout the judicial process.
