The Karnataka high court on Friday stayed for three weeks proceedings against Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi in a lower court in Bangalore in connection with a complaint filed against him for his alleged hate speech.

Hearing a criminal petition by Owaisi seeking quashing of the proceedings against him, Justice K N Keshavanarayana stayed for three weeks the proceedings pending before the chief Metropolitan Magistrate court.

In January this year, the CMM court had summoned Owaisi to appear before it in connection complaint lodged by advocates Dilip Kumar and Dharmapal praying for prosecuting Owaisi for his hate speech at a public meeting in Adilabad in Andra Pradesh.

Owaisi, who has earlier been booked by Andhra Pradesh police on charges of sedition among others, was arrested in January.