Speaking on the notice, Shinde said filing an FIR against the state's Home Minister was a "motivated act on part of the Karnataka government."
"R R Patil was not speaking on a public platform but a private function. Speaking for the rights of Marathi speaking people in Belgaum does not amount to promoting enmity between different groups and provoking and creating disharmony between communities on the basis of religion, race, place of birth and language under the Representation of People Act," Shinde said.
The FIR against Patil was filed on April 10, by Karnataka police for promoting enmity between different groups through his speech on Belgaum, a bone of contention between the two states.