Karnataka HC underscores case on Sudhir Chaudhary’s Hindus excluded from minority scheme claim
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Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued an oral observation, suggesting that there is a prima facie case to investigate Aaj Tak's Consulting Editor, Sudhir Chaudhary, for allegedly spreading misinformation about a government subsidy scheme.
This comes after the Karnataka Police filed a case against Chaudhary following a controversial television show he hosted.
The controversy revolves around the Swavalambi Sarathi scheme offered by the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, which promises a subsidy of 50% or up to Rs 3 lakh to individuals from religious minorities with a household income below Rs 4.5 lakh for purchasing commercial vehicles.
Chaudhary claimed on his show that the scheme was not extended to Hindus and alleged that the Congress government had made false promises.
However, the Karnataka government clarified that people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were also eligible for subsidies under this scheme for electric vehicles. Additionally, the Airavatha Scheme assists them in gaining employment with cab aggregators and provides a subsidy of Rs 5 lakh to purchase light motor vehicles.
The first information report against Chaudhary alleges that his show aimed to create communal disharmony in the state by spreading misinformation and promoting enmity between different religious groups. Chaudhary has been booked under Sections 505 and 153A of the Indian Penal Code.
Justice Hemant Chandangoudar emphasized that despite the state government's claims of misinformation, Aaj Tak had not retracted the statements made during the show. He also pointed out that the scheme had been available even before the Congress came to power in Karnataka.
The Karnataka Minority Welfare Department's Secretary, Manoj Jain, affirmed that the Swavalambi Sarathi scheme had been in place before the Congress government took office, contradicting Chaudhary's claims.
In response to the controversy, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge accused Chaudhary of deliberately spreading misinformation and announced that legal action would be taken against him. Notably, Sudhir Chaudhary is one of the 14 news anchors that the Opposition INDIA coalition has decided to boycott, as announced by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.
