Karnataka HC declines to dismiss FIR against Rahul Gandhi over KGF copyright

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 29 (ANI) The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday declined to dismiss the FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Supriya Shrinate over alleged “unauthorised” use of music from Kannada film KGF Chapter 2 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

A single-judge panel led by Justice M Nagaprasanna rejected the plea. “The petitioner appears to have tampered with the source code without permission, and this undoubtedly constitutes a violation of the company’s copyright,” the High Court said.

The Bengaluru Police had registered a case against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders following a complaint filed by the MRT music label for the alleged unauthorised use of music from Kannada film KGF Chapter 2 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in November 2022.

The complaint alleged that the party had posted two videos during the Bharat Jodo Yatra with songs from the movie without permission, in violation of the Copyright Act.

The FIR was registered in the Yashwanthpur police station under the provisions of the Copyright Act, the Information Technology Act, and the Indian Penal Code against Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Supriya of the Congress.