Supreme Court rejects BJP lawmakers' bid to prosecute Karnataka energy minister over smart-meter tender

The Supreme Court, in a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, rejected a Special Leave Petition lodged by three Bharatiya Janata Party legislators—CN Ashwathnarayan, SR Vishwanath and Dheeraj Muniraj—seeking prosecution of Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George over a ₹4,985-crore smart-meter tender. The court upheld the Karnataka High Court’s December 2025 decision that the complaint lacked criminal substance and amounted to a civil matter, noting that the tender attracted multiple bidders and showed no evidence of quid-pro quo payments.

The legislators had alleged that George, also chairman of Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), colluded with officials to manipulate financial thresholds and award the contract to Rajashree Electricals Pvt Ltd. After the Lokayukta declined to order an investigation, the case proceeded to trial, where the high court’s findings led to its dismissal. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Vivek Jain represented George, while Lakshmy Iyenger argued for the petitioners. The Supreme Court’s dismissal leaves the matter closed without further inquiry.