Karnataka High Court reserves order on state’s plea against stay on ban of public gatherings without
Bengaluru/Dharwad: The Karnataka High Court has reserved its order on the state government’s appeal challenging the interim stay granted against its directive that prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in public places without prior permission from competent authorities.
The order in question, issued by the state government on October 18, 2025, sought to restrict any assembly, including those organised by private groups such as the RSS, in public areas like roads, parks, and playgrounds without prior approval. The Dharwad bench of the High Court, through a single-judge bench on October 28, had issued an interim stay on the order.
Hearing the government’s appeal on Tuesday, a division bench comprising Justice S.G. Pandit and Justice K.B. Geetha concluded arguments and reserved its decision.
Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty, representing the state government, argued that the notification was a lawful and reasonable measure intended to protect public property and citizens’ rights. He stated that gatherings of more than 10 people in public places such as roads and playgrounds without permission could disrupt public movement and order, and hence were declared unlawful under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Shetty contended that the single-judge bench’s interim order curtailed the government’s authority over its property. “Private organisations cannot use government property at their will. The order does not restrict people from using parks for walks; it only requires prior permission for organized events such as lectures or gatherings. There is nothing unreasonable about this,” he said.
He further noted that if any organisation sought permission, it would be granted within three days as per the new guidelines. “The order was issued solely to protect government property,” Shetty asserted.
The division bench questioned whether the government could have approached the single-judge bench itself for vacating the interim stay. Responding, the Advocate General said that since the stay order was already granted, the appropriate remedy was to approach a higher bench.
Senior Advocate Ashok Haranahalli, appearing for the original petitioners from Punashchetana Seva Trust, argued that the government’s view of public spaces as its exclusive property was legally flawed. “The state cannot claim ownership over playgrounds and parks in a manner that denies public access. Citizens have the right to use these spaces,” he said.
He further questioned, “If a group wishes to play cricket in a playground, must they seek daily permission from the government? Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution guarantees the right to assemble peacefully without arms. This order amounts to an unreasonable restriction on that fundamental right.”
Haranahalli maintained that various provisions under criminal law already exist to curb unlawful assemblies and that municipal authorities, not the state government, are empowered to regulate the use of local public spaces. “If the state wants to impose such restrictions, it must enact legislation rather than issue an executive order that curtails citizens’ rights,” he argued.
On October 28, Justice M. Nagaprasanna of the single-judge bench had granted an interim stay on the state’s order, observing that the government directive prima facie infringed upon the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.
The bench had held that fundamental rights cannot be curtailed by an executive order but only by a valid law enacted under constitutional provisions. “If such an order is allowed to stand, it would effectively deprive citizens of their basic freedoms,” the court had observed.
Invoking Article 13(2) of the Constitution, which prohibits the state from making any law that abridges fundamental rights, the bench had stayed the implementation of the October 18 government order and subsequent directives until further hearing.
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Death toll in attack on Kyiv apartment building now stands at 24
Kyiv (AP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including what local officials said were three teenagers.
Emergency workers finished digging through the building's rubble after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.
The cruise missile hit the nine-story corner block during what the Ukrainian air force said was Russia's biggest barrage of the country since its all-out invasion.
The assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded, including two children, Zelenskyy said.
Russia hammered Ukraine with large-scale aerial attacks in the days following a May 9-11 ceasefire that US President Donald Trump said he asked Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe. Fighting went on over those 72 hours, although reportedly on a lesser scale.
This week's attacks ran counter to recent suggestions from Trump and Putin that the war, now in its fifth year, is close to ending.
Zelenskyy said Thursday that Moscow had launched more than 1,560 drones against Ukrainian population centres since Wednesday. In all, some 180 sites across the country were damaged, including more than 50 residential buildings, he said.
Previously, the biggest Russian drone attack was from the evening of March 23 to the evening of March 24 when Moscow's forces fired nearly 1,000 drones and missiles at Ukraine.
Ukraine has also built up significant long-range capabilities, and Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday that air defences downed 355 drones overnight in one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks of the war.
Several airports suspended flights overnight because of the attacks.
Also, a Ukrainian drone attack on Ryazan, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Moscow, killed four people, including a child, Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said.
After the attack, massive plumes of black smoke spewed from a fire at a local oil refinery. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities in an effort to deny vital export revenue for Moscow and rattle the Kremlin.
Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment about the Ryazan strike.
The Ukrainian capital observed an official day of mourning Friday in remembrance of those killed Thursday, and Zelenskyy visited the site.
The cruise missile that hit the apartment building was built in the second quarter of this year, Zelenskyy said, apparently after Ukrainian experts analyzed the wreckage.
“This means Russia is still importing the components, resources and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions,” Zelenskyy said in another post on X late Thursday.
“Stopping Russia's sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners,” he said.
Russia and Ukraine have continued to occasionally swap prisoners of war, and 205 from each country returned home Friday.
Zelenskyy said it was the first phase of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap. Some of the Ukrainians released had been held in Russian captivity since 2022, he said, and had fought in some of the war's fiercest battles.
Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the exchange and thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping broker it.
