Court grants injunction against release of book on Cong leader Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: A sessions court on Monday gave an injunction against the release of a book titled ‘Siddu Nijakanasugalu’ (Real dreams of Siddu) on senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, hours before its launch.The court granted the ad-interim injunction restraining state Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and others from publishing, releasing, packaging, selling and displaying the book till the next date of hearing.
Following the court order, the book launch event was cancelled.The court’s directive came on a petition filed by Siddaramaiah’s son and Varuna MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
Earlier on Monday, Siddaramaiah said the book about him is being released with an intention to humiliate him ahead of Assembly polls in Karnataka and termed it “totally defamatory”.The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly had said he is contemplating legal action against it.
“I don’t know, everything is yellow for those with a jaundice eye. Who wore the dress like Tipu (18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom Tipu Sultan) and held a sword in their hand, it was (former CM) Yediyurappa and (BJP MP) Shobha Karandlaje. Who wrote a foreword for Sheikh Ali’s book on Tipu, isn’t it duality?” Siddaramaiah had asked, alleging BJP’s role behind the book.”Purposely to humiliate me ahead of the election, they are bringing out a book. It is totally defamatory. I will see what is to be done legally,” he added.The posters about the book launch event slated on Monday afternoon show copies of books which have a picture of Siddaramaiah wearing an attire resembling Tipu Sultan and holding a sword, on its cover.
According to the poster, the book release event was to be presided over by Ashwath Narayan with him releasing it.
The book is written by an author who goes by the initials ‘VKP’. It is believed to be a three-volume series on the Congress leader.BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy was to be the chief guest at the event, also to be attended by writer Rohith Chakrathirtha, who had headed the state textbooks review committee; journalist Santosh Thammaiah; Vrushanka Bhat, Editor of Vikrama Samvada; and Rakesh Shetty, a writer and social worker, according to the poster.Tweeting about the event and asking people to take part in it, Ashwath Narayan had said: “I appreciate the effort to find answers to many questions along with revealing many sensitive issues through the book ‘Siddu Nijakanasugalu’.