Don't call me jail bird: BJP's Yeddyurappa moves court against remarks made by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa has approached the Karnataka High Court asking for an injunction order against remarks, such as "jail bird", made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leaders Dinesh Gundu Rao, Brijesh Kalappa among others.

In recent election rallies, several Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah have called BJP leader Yeddyurappa a "jail bird" and said that he no moral right to speak against corruption in the ruling government.

Reacting strongly against such attacks at him, Yeddyurappa decided to move the Karnataka High Court. The court has served notices to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders. The matter will now be heard on March 26.

Sandeep Patil, advocate representing Yeddyurappa, said that a writ petition was filed in the lower court three weeks ago and has now reached the high court.

"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other leaders cannot call Yeddyurappa a jail bird because he has not been convicted and rather a CBI court has quashed many cases against him. If one insists to call him a jail bird, it amounts to lowering the majesty of the court verdict. Few cases are pending in Supreme against BJP Karnataka Chief but even then one cannot use such terms, because it would be an act of interference into administration of justice," Yeddyurappa's counsel said.

Says an ex-jail bird who chose another former jail bird to be his partys CM candidate for our Karnataka election.

Can he present facts about the so called corruption charges against me or my Govt?

Just telling lies wont help. People will not believe his #jumlas https://t.co/R1OW6FiipB

Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 26, 2018

In 2016, Karnataka BJP chief Yeddyurappa and nine others were acquitted by a CBI court in the illegal mining kickback case which had cost him his chief ministership in 2011. His advocate said that Yeddyurappa was remanded in judicial custody and was never convicted.

READ: From BJP star campaigner to unstarred: Karnataka minister on Yogi Adityanath losing Gorakhpur

WATCH: Karnataka government defends circular to drop cases against minorities