MD Rajanna, an activist fighting several cases regarding the Cauvery river water dispute, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment by the High Court. He had filed a private complaint against the Chief Justice of India and two other sitting judges of the Supreme Court, chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which was dismissed by a lower court. After this private complaint was dismissed, he filed a revision petition on it.

Rajanna, in his complaint before a Magistrate court in Mandya, had stated that the Supreme Court had passed an order in the Cauvery dispute despite not having the authority to adjudicate the dispute as per Article 262 of the Constitution. When Rajanna did not agree to withdraw the revision petition, the Magistrate wrote to the High Court of Karnataka to initiate contempt proceedings against him. In its judgement on May 24, the division bench of Justice Budihal RB and Justice KS Mudagal sentenced Rajanna to “simple imprisonment for a period of six months and fine of Rs 2,000”. The HC Registry was directed to furnish a certified copy of the HC order to Rajanna free of cost.