Karnataka HC allows probe to continue against WhatsApp group admin over content on Hindu deities
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has declined to interfere with an ongoing investigation against a WhatsApp group administrator accused of allowing the circulation of obscene and offensive images depicting Hindu deities and certain political figures, observing that the allegations prima facie attract offences under the law.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, while dismissing the petition filed by Sirajuddin, held that the essential ingredients of Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with acts intended to outrage religious feelings, were made out at this stage. The court said it could not halt an investigation of such nature when the matter was still at a preliminary stage, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Sirajuddin, a resident of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, had approached the High Court seeking to quash a case registered against him in 2021 by the Cyber, Economics and Narcotics Crime police station in Mangaluru. The case was booked under Section 295A of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which relates to the transmission of obscene material in electronic form.
The complaint was filed by K Jayaraj Salian, who alleged that he had been added to a WhatsApp group through a link received from an unknown source. According to the complaint, the group had around six administrators and nearly 250 members, and obscene images depicting Hindu deities and certain political leaders were repeatedly shared in the group chat.
Sirajuddin was arrested in connection with the case and later released on bail on February 16, 2021. Before the High Court, he argued that he had been selectively targeted while no action was taken against the other administrators, including the creator of the group. He also contended that the case under Section 295A could not proceed in the absence of prior sanction under Section 196(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Rejecting the argument, the court clarified that prior sanction is required only at the stage when a magistrate takes cognisance of the offence and not at the stage of registration of a case or during investigation. The state placed the investigation material before the court, which, according to Justice Nagaprasanna, contained highly obscene and demeaning depictions of Hindu deities.
The judge noted that the content was such that reproducing it in a judicial order would itself be inappropriate, adding that the material, on its face, had the potential to outrage religious feelings and disturb communal harmony.
While expressing concern that the investigating agency appeared not to have proceeded uniformly against all administrators of the group, the court said it was premature to draw conclusions. It observed that if the investigation reveals active involvement of other administrators or members in permitting the circulation of such content, they too would have to face action under the law.
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Ramdev criticises US, Israel over Iran war; video viral
New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has sharply criticised the United States and Israel over their conflict with Iran, in a video from a television interview that has gone viral on social media.
Speaking on a show aired by ABP News, Ramdev was asked whether India should support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was reported to have been killed on the first day of the war on February 28.
Responding to the question, Ramdev said, “You can kill a person, but you cannot kill his ideas, his philosophy, his mindset, his spirit, or his valour and heroism.”
He went on to express support for Iran, saying he may not know much about the country but believes its people cannot be subdued. Referring to the Shia Muslim community, he said no one could make them “bow down” or defeat them, adding that a significant section of Iran’s population strongly identifies with Khamenei’s ideology.
When asked about Netanyahu, Ramdev criticised both him and US President Donald Trump, saying they are “both cut from the same cloth.” He added, “I am not calling anyone a thief; I am simply citing a proverb it implies that they are both of the same ilk, and I consider them both to be war criminals. I consider them criminals against humanity; I consider them criminals against nature and the environment.”
He further said that the United States and Israel have “erected a Himalaya-sized mountain of political mistrust” and claimed that both countries would have to face the consequences for decades. “In this conflict, neither can America and Israel emerge victorious, nor can Iran be defeated,” he said.
Ramdev’s remarks come at a time when India’s position on the conflict has drawn attention. The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has maintained what it describes as “strategic autonomy” in foreign policy.
