High Court quashes case over remarks about Prime Minister in Athani shop dispute
Athani Police booked a shopkeeper after a social worker complained about barricades and alleged insulting remarks about the Prime Minister. The Karnataka High Court quashed the proceedings before the Athani court. The Court held the complaint did not show intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace.
This page records what the cited court records and reports say happened. Findings belong to the court or authority that made them; this register adds none of its own. Names of private individuals are withheld unless a naming gate clears them.
How we verify →The criminal proceedings before the Athani court stand quashed.
What happened
The High Court recorded that Athani Police booked the petitioner after a complaint about barricades placed near his shop and alleged insulting remarks against the Prime Minister. LiveLaw reported the complaint was lodged on January 11, 2026 about a January 7, 2026 incident near the petitioner's shop, after a video circulated on a WhatsApp group.
The High Court recorded that the only allegation was a political statement against the Prime Minister, with no specific allegation that the petitioner abused or intentionally insulted the complainant. The petitioner's counsel argued a political statement could not be converted into a personal prosecution when basic ingredients were not met.
The High Court held that mere abuse, rudeness or insolence is not intentional insult without the requisite intention or knowledge to provoke breach of peace. LiveLaw reported the Court relied on [name withheld] v. State of U.P. (2023) in interpreting Sections 285 and 352 BNS.
The High Court noted a four-day delay in the complaint and called the allegations general and omnibus. The Court held continuation of proceedings would amount to abuse of process of law, and quashed the pending case before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC, Athani.
What the record says
“The allegation against the petitioner is essentially that, when the complainant questioned him regarding the barricades, he made certain statements against the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India. There is no specific allegation that the petitioner abused or intentionally insulted the complainant so as to provoke a breach of peace..”
[name withheld] v. State of Karnataka & Anr., Criminal Petition No.101720 of 2026, as reproduced by LiveLaw — read the full text
Punished for a freedom
The state prosecuted a person for spoken criticism of a public leader, with no violence, threat, or complaining victim of insult, which is an exercise of speech.
What we could not confirm
Order date taken from report and upload date of September 24, 2026; full signed order text could not be scraped from the PDF. District not stated on the page, so left null.