HC stays criminal proceedings against man over 'vote call' in wedding invitation

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

The Karnataka High Court recently stayed all criminal proceedings against a man who printed a message on his wedding invitation asking people to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 parliamentary elections. On November 11, Justice M Nagaprasanna issued an interim stay order and also issued notice to the government and a polling officer, who was the original complainant, to respond to a quashing petition filed by Shivaprasad, a resident of Dakshin Kannada district as per a report by the Bar and Bench. The Court referred to the case as involving a "strange offence," noting that Shivaprasad had printed a postscript on his wedding invitation card that read: "The gift you would give me in the marriage is a vote for Narendra Modi." The criminal charges were filed under Section 188 (disobedience to public servant's order) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 127A of the Representation of the People Act (RP Act), based on a complaint from election officer Sandesh KN on April 25 this year.

According to the complaint, the line printed on the wedding invitation violated the election code of conduct. Shivaprasad’s lawyer, however, argued that the invitation card was printed on March 1, well before the code of conduct came into effect. The Election Commission had announced the calendar fo on March 16, with the complaint filed in April, after the code was implemented, stated the Bar and Bench report. The petitioner's lawyer further claimed that the magistrate’s court had granted permission to register an FIR without following proper procedures.