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"Targeted for Sowjanya Protest?": HC Questions State as Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi Fights Deportation Order

By Bhavana Gowda
"Targeted for Sowjanya Protest?": HC Questions State as Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi Fights Deportation Order

Advocate General K. Shasikiran Shetty, representing the state government, strongly opposed Thimarodi’s arguments. He stated, "There have been criminal cases against Thimarodi since 1997. This has no connection to the Sowjanya struggle.

Bengaluru: The hearing in the Karnataka High Court regarding the externment (deportation) order against well-known social activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi has sparked intense curiosity. The questions posed by the Justice to the government and Thimarodi’s counsel during the hearing have now become a major topic of discussion across the state.

The One Question Asked by the High Court

While hearing the case, the single-judge bench of Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum addressed Thimarodi’s counsel and intensified the proceedings by asking, "Can’t the government find anyone else? Why are cases being filed repeatedly only against you?"

Did the Struggle for Sowjanya Become a Curse?

Senior advocate M.R. Balakrishna, representing Thimarodi, argued, "My client is leading a massive struggle for justice in the Sowjanya murder case. For this very reason, he is being targeted as part of a political conspiracy, and a string of cases are being registered against him."

Key Arguments of the Counsel:

Out of the 26 cases mentioned against Thimarodi, he has already been acquitted in 13 cases.

The police themselves have filed 'B-Reports' (closure reports) in two cases.

The remaining pending cases are of a minor nature and are bailable.

Filing new cases only after the externment process began is suspicious.

What is the Government’s Argument?

Advocate General K. Shasikiran Shetty, representing the state government, strongly opposed Thimarodi’s arguments. He stated, "There have been criminal cases against Thimarodi since 1997. This has no connection to the Sowjanya struggle. He is continuously engaging in activities that disturb law and order." Furthermore, the government brought to the court's attention that new cases were registered in April even while the externment process was underway.

Court Reserves Judgment

After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court has reserved the verdict for April 29. Until then, the stay order previously granted against the externment of Thimarodi has been extended, providing him with temporary relief.