Karnataka High Court Dismisses Extortion Allegations Against Nalin Kumar Kateel

The Karnataka High Court has quashed a criminal case against former BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, linked to alleged extortion concerning electoral bonds. Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed the proceedings, emphasizing insufficiencies in the complaint. The case had involved allegations of coercive purchases of electoral bonds to halt investigations.

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed the criminal proceedings against former BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel. He had been accused of extortion and coercing business entities to buy electoral bonds.

The decision was made by Justice M Nagaprasanna, who allowed the petition filed by Kateel, stating that the proceedings stand quashed for the petitioner. Senior advocate K G Raghavan confirmed the outcome, clarifying that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was not involved in the petition.

The case, initiated by city-based activist Adarsh R Iyer, alleged a coordinated extortion racket involving BJP officials. However, Raghavan argued that the complaint lacked direct victim testimony and failed to establish a clear legal case under Section 383 of the Indian Penal Code.

(With inputs from agencies.)