The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday asked the police they didn’t invoke the more serious offence of “insulting modesty of a woman by word, gesture or act” against Congress leader B.V. Rajeev Gowda for using abusive language and threatening the Sidlaghatta City Municipal Council (CMC) Commissioner in Chickballapur district on the issue of removal of flexes and banners containing his portrait.
The court made these observations while dismissing a petition by Mr. Gowda, 46, for quashing the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him on January 14 on a complaint lodged by CMC Commissioner Amritha.G and another person.
“A plain reading of the complaint and the conversation would unmistakably reveal that Mr. Gowda has spoken in a manner that strikes at the dignity of a woman or even other public servants and the language and tenor attributed to the him would, prima facie, disclose offences under Section 79 [word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman] of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita (BNS),” the court observed.
Difficult to comprehend
The court said that “it is difficult to comprehend as to how the prosecution has not invoked this offence [Section 79 of BNS], notwithstanding the nature of the conversation attributed to the petitioner, as it was against a woman who is a public servant.”
The Sidlaghatta Town Police had only invoked Sections 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 224 (threat of injury to public servant), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation by threat) of the BNS against him.
Stating that he was willing to tender a public apology, the petitioner had contended that there was no material for invoking Section 132, which is the only cognisable offence among the offences invoked against him.
The remarks against the woman officer clearly merit investigation for their severity and intent, the court said, while pointing out it was not a fit case to interfere with the investigation, which had just begun, at this stage.
Illegal banners
Meanwhile, the court observed that it is high time that the State government wakes up and enforces the law in earnest against unauthorised banners, placards, and flexes as such publicity materials erected indiscriminately across cities create menace to the public.
The petitioner had put up banners across Sidlaghatta city to promote Kannada film Cult, starring Zaid Khan, son of Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan in connection with the film promotion event scheduled at Sidlaghatta on January 13 and some of these banners were removed by the CMC staff on receiving complaints that banners were obstructing vehicle movement.
Published – January 22, 2026 10:58 pm IST
