A sessions court in Bengaluru on Monday issued an interim stay order on the release of a book about senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah hours before its launch, PTI reported.

The book titled, Siddu Nijakanasugalu (Real dreams of Siddu), is written by an author identified only by the initials VKP. The posters for the book launch show Siddaramaiah dressed as 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, holding a sword.

Siddaramaiah described the book as “totally defamatory”, and that it was was an attempt to humiliate him ahead of the Assembly elections in Karnataka. The former Karnataka chief minister alleged that the book is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The book was set to be launched by Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan at the Town Hall in Bengaluru.

The court on Monday restrained Narayan and others from publishing, selling and displaying the book till the next hearing. “I appreciate the effort to find answers to many questions along with revealing many sensitive issues through the book Siddu Nijakanasugalu,” he wrote in a tweet earlier on Monday.

The sessions court stayed the release of the book based on a petition filed by Siddaramaiah’s son and Varuna MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah. The petition said that Siddaramaiah’s picture has been distorted with a conspiracy to disturb law and order in the state.

The book reportedly contains writings about the alleged misrule in Karnataka during the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government’s term between 2013 and 2018. The writings also accuse the Congress leader of doing politics to appease the minority communities.