Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Pic credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: The Karnataka high court granted a temporary relief to union minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other BJP leaders on Monday by issuing an interim stay on the investigation into the electoral bond extortion case.
According to the court’s ruling, Section 286 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to extortion, requires the presence of certain essential elements, such as direct threat and a complaint from the affected person.
The court noted that the complainant did not face any such threat, and the magistrate’s order failed to consider the specific requirements for extortion. The interim order effectively suspends the investigation until the next hearing, scheduled for October 22.