Bengaluru, 16 Oct

High Court dismissed criminal proceedings against two people from Dakshina Kannada, who were accused of shouting "Jai Shri Ram" slogans inside a mosque.

The case revolved around an incident on 24 September, 2023, when they allegedly entered a mosque in Aittur village and raised the slogans, following which a person named Hyder Ali CM lodged a complaint.

Justice M Nagaprasanna, presiding over the case, questioned how the shouting of "Jai Shri Ram" could be interpreted as an act that outraged religious sentiments.

The judge referred to a Supreme Court ruling in a case and noted that actions that do not disrupt peace or public order cannot be prosecuted under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the complaint, the two men were seen on CCTV footage riding bikes around the mosque and shouting slogans late at night that day.

While the complaint emphasised that Hindus and Muslims in the area had historically lived in harmony, it alleged that the actions of the accused sought to create communal discord. -PTI