Hate speech case | No coercive action against Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat: High Court
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the Puttur Rural police not to take any coercive action against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat in connection with a hate speech case registered against him.
The case pertains to allegations that Bhat delivered a hate speech during a Deepotsava programme held at Uppalige in Puttur taluk. The order was passed by a single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna while hearing a petition filed by Dr. Prabhakar Bhat (83), seeking quashing of the FIR registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Eshwari Padmunja.
Senior advocate Arun Shyam, appearing for the petitioner, submitted before the court the complete transcript of the speech allegedly delivered by Bhat, as directed earlier by the court. Additional State Public Prosecutor Asma Kousar submitted a pen drive containing a 42-minute video recording of the speech.
After accepting the transcript and video recording, the court stated that it would examine the contents of the speech before proceeding further. The bench adjourned the matter to February 5 and directed that no coercive steps be taken against the petitioner till then.
During the hearing, Asma Kousar informed the court that the petitioner is already on bail and that no coercive action is presently being taken against him. However, she also pointed out that another case on similar allegations had been registered against the petitioner recently and that such incidents appeared to be continuing. She further alleged that the petitioner was violating bail conditions.
In response, the court observed that if the petitioner was indeed violating bail conditions, the prosecution was at liberty to file an application seeking cancellation of bail. The matter was thereafter adjourned.
According to the complaint filed at the Puttur Rural police station on October 25, 2025, complainant Eshwari Padmunj alleged that during the Deepotsava programme organised on October 20 in Uppalige as part of Diwali celebrations, Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat made statements that hurt religious sentiments, insulted women, and incited hatred between communities.
The complaint alleged that Bhat made remarks unrelated to the programme, referring to Hindu and Muslim women, childbirth, and made statements invoking childbirth in the name of Allah and Mahalingeshwara. It was alleged that the speech was derogatory to the dignity of women and capable of promoting enmity between Hindu and Muslim communities. The complainant sought legal action against Bhat and the organisers of the programme.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against Bhat and others. Challenging this, Bhat approached the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR.
On January 19, the High Court had issued notice to the State and urgent notice to the complainant, directing the petitioner to submit the complete transcript of the speech. The court had also restrained the police from filing a chargesheet against the petitioner without prior permission of the court.
The matter will now be taken up for further hearing on February 5.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
