Archive · 1 Feb 2026
Karnataka HC Refuses to Quash Case Over Obscene Depictions of Hindu Deities
A man named Sirajuddin was accused of sharing offensive images of Hindu gods in a WhatsApp group.
Someone named K Jayaraj Salian complained about this, and the court decided that even if the images didn't cause immediate trouble, they could still be seen as a problem because they might upset public order.
The court said that free speech can be limited if it has the potential to cause trouble.
So, the court did not cancel the case against Sirajuddin.
The court also said that the images were so offensive that they could disturb communal harmony.
The court decided that the investigation should continue to find out who was involved in sharing these images.
The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition by Sirajuddin to quash a criminal case against him.
Sirajuddin was charged with publishing and transmitting obscene depictions of Hindu deities in a WhatsApp group.
The complaint was filed by K Jayaraj Salian, who found the images deeply offensive.
The court ruled that acts with the propensity to disrupt public order fall under reasonable restrictions of free speech.
The case was registered under Section 295A of the IPC and Section 67 of the IT Act in 2021.
- Who
- Sirajuddin, a 30-year-old resident of Dakshina Kannada, is the petitioner in the case.
- What
- The case involves the alleged publication and transmission of obscene and demeaning depictions of Hindu deities in a WhatsApp group.
- When
- The incident occurred in 2021, and the petition was dismissed on Friday.
- Where
- The case was heard in the Karnataka High Court.
- Why
- The court dismissed the petition because it found that the act had the propensity to disrupt public order, which falls under reasonable restrictions of free speech.
- Petitioner
- Sirajuddin, 30, resident of Dakshina Kannada
- Charges
- Section 295A of IPC and Section 67 of IT Act
- Complainant
- K Jayaraj Salian
- Platform
- WhatsApp group
- Year of Incident
- 2021
- Court's Decision
- Dismissed the petition
- Judge
- Justice M Nagaprasanna
- Key Legal Point
- Insults with propensity to disrupt public order fall under reasonable restriction of free speech
Sources
‘In garb of free speech…’: Karnataka HC refuses to quash case over obscene depictions of Hindu deities in WhatsApp group
Karnataka HC upholds FIR against Muslim man for sharing obscene images of Hindu Gods
