K'taka mulling over new law to prevent political conspiracies: Minister

A day after half-a-dozen Karnataka ministers moved to a Bengaluru city court in connection with the recent sleaze CD case, state Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Saturday that the state government is mulling over to bring a law to prevent the media from being misused to defame political opponents.

Sudhakar is one of the six ministers who have approached a local court seeking legal intervention to prevent their names from being 'maligned with an intent to defame' them.

Speaking to reporters here, Sudhakar said that there seems to be a big political conspiracy to defame the opponents by misusing the media.

"There is a new trend to indulge in hit-and-run allegations, which is unethical, immoral and illegal. It is necessary to put an end to such smear campaigns aimed at tarnishing the image of individuals and destroy the goodwill gained from years of good work. Therefore, the state government is thinking of bringing a law to check such kinds of mischief," he said.

The minister added that it is not confined to only politicians, as celebrities from various walks of life are subjected to this kind of conspiracy.

"Both mainstream media and social media platforms are being misused to peddle misinformation and fake news. If there is truth in the allegations, no one can be protected. But a smear campaign to tarnish the image and goodwill of a person is not acceptable," he said.

Replying to a query, Sudhakar said that they have approached the court seeking an order to prevent such hit-and-run smear campaigns.

A CD was released to news channels in Bengaluru on Tuesday, in which state Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarakiholi could be allegedly seen with a woman in a compromising position, creating ripples in the political circles.

Citing the the case of Jarakiholi, who was forced quit after the CD surfaced, Sudakar said it has been reported that videos are being uploaded from Russia and some other countries.

"This proves that there seems to be a deliberate attempt to malign people. This is nothing but a planned conspiracy. It is quite natural for those in public life to be cautious about their image and goodwill. Any defamatory content must be checked for its veracity. If found true, I have no objection to broadcast it for 24 hours," he said.

(With inputs from IANS)