Overview

• A bench led by Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale kept the April 17 order adding Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy to the contempt proceedings in abeyance.
• The court issued notice to NGO Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, represented by Prashant Bhushan, and directed a response within four weeks.
• Suspension of the high court’s order halts eviction notices and further contempt actions tied to alleged non-compliance with a 2014 Lokayukta directive.
• The underlying contempt case stems from a 2020 PIL accusing Kumaraswamy and his family of encroaching over 200 acres of government land in Kethaganahalli village, including 110 acres of pasture.
• Kumaraswamy has maintained that he legally purchased the land and described the proceedings as politically motivated by the state’s Congress government.