Karnataka HC quashes case against man who shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ at BJP rally ‘by mistake’

The Karnataka High Court ended the criminal case against the man accused of shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” at a BJP rally. It quashed the proceedings, meaning the prosecution could not continue against him. The decision matters because the court found the case unsupported by the available investigation and legally unnecessary.

The man’s lawyer said he had shouted the slogan by mistake, intending to say “Pakistan Murdabad”. The court also noted that the demonstration was organised by the BJP, making it “highly unimaginable” that protesters there would deliberately raise the pro-Pakistan slogan. The prosecution had alleged that he wanted to create unrest.

Justice V Srishananda said the investigation did not establish that the words caused social unrest. He concluded that continuing the prosecution would amount to an abuse of the process of law. The October 28 judgment therefore stopped the criminal proceedings rather than sending the case forward for trial.

The two slogans express opposite messages. “Pakistan Zindabad” means “Long live Pakistan,” while “Pakistan Murdabad” means “Death to Pakistan.” In the reported incident, the difference between the phrases was central because one sounds supportive of Pakistan and the other hostile toward it.

The accused man’s lawyer told the court that he made a “slip of the tongue” in the heat of the moment. According to that submission, he intended to shout “Pakistan Murdabad” but mistakenly said “Pakistan Zindabad”. The court considered this explanation alongside the setting: a demonstration organised by BJP supporters.

The High Court did not treat the reported words alone as enough to continue the prosecution. It noted that the investigation had not shown the slogan caused social unrest. The ruling therefore focused on the alleged mistake, the rally’s political context, and the absence of established consequences, rather than treating the phrases as interchangeable.

The incident happened during a demonstration organised by BJP supporters on December 18, 2022. The accused man was alleged to have shouted “Pakistan Zindabad”. His lawyer later told the Karnataka High Court that the words came out by mistake, during the heat of the moment, instead of “Pakistan Murdabad”.

A video of the incident became the basis for a later complaint. The complainant said watching it caused mental distress and prompted him to seek police action. In 2024, Mandya Police registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections concerning public mischief and assertions prejudicial to national integration.

The accused then approached the High Court to quash the case. The prosecution alleged that he deliberately used the slogan to create unrest. The court found that the investigation had not established any social unrest and said that continuing the proceedings would be unnecessary and an abuse of the process of law.

The demonstration took place on December 18, 2022, but the complaint was filed in 2024. Since the article does not give the complaint’s exact date, the elapsed time cannot be calculated precisely. It was roughly one to two years after the demonstration, depending on when in 2024 the complaint was made.

The delay matters because the police case was not registered at the event itself, according to the article. Instead, the complainant later reported that a video of the incident had caused mental distress and led him to seek police action. Mandya Police then registered the case under specified Indian Penal Code provisions.

The accused challenged the case before the High Court. The court ultimately quashed the proceedings, finding no established social unrest and calling further prosecution unnecessary. The timeline therefore runs from the December 2022 demonstration, through a 2024 complaint and police case, to the October 28 judgment.

“Quashing” a criminal proceeding means a High Court uses its legal authority to stop the case from continuing. In practical terms, the accused is no longer required to face that prosecution in the form challenged before the court. This is different from allowing a trial to proceed and deciding guilt or innocence after evidence is heard.

In this case, the accused asked the Karnataka High Court to quash the case registered by Mandya Police. The court considered his explanation that “Pakistan Zindabad” was a mistaken utterance of “Pakistan Murdabad”. It also considered the prosecution’s claim that he deliberately wanted to create unrest.

Justice V Srishananda held that the investigation had not established social unrest. He said continuing the proceedings would be unnecessary and amount to an abuse of the process of law. The October 28 judgment therefore brought the criminal proceedings against the petitioner to an end.

Generally, prosecutors must connect the words to a criminal offence with evidence. That can include proof of what was said, the speaker’s intention, the surrounding context, and the harmful result required by the law. A mistake or isolated expression may not satisfy those requirements if the prosecution cannot show deliberate wrongdoing and the necessary public impact.

Here, the prosecution alleged that the man deliberately shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” to create unrest in society. The defence said he had intended to shout “Pakistan Murdabad” but made a slip of the tongue. The court also considered that the event was a BJP demonstration, where a deliberate pro-Pakistan slogan seemed highly unimaginable.

The investigation did not establish that the slogan led to social unrest. On the facts reported, that missing link was important. The High Court therefore held that continuing the case was unnecessary. The ruling shows why intent, context, and proven consequences can matter when speech is alleged to be criminal.

A High Court reviews challenged criminal proceedings to determine whether the case should legally continue. It does not simply accept every allegation as sufficient. Where the available investigation does not support the alleged offence, or prosecution would serve no proper legal purpose, the court can intervene and quash the proceedings.

The accused asked the Karnataka High Court to stop the case registered after the BJP demonstration. The prosecution alleged that he deliberately shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” to create unrest. The court examined that claim, the reported slip-of-the-tongue explanation, and the rally’s political setting. It noted that the investigation had not established social unrest.

Justice V Srishananda said continued prosecution would be unnecessary and amount to an abuse of the process of law. That phrase describes using criminal procedure in a way the court considers unjustified or improper. The decision does not erase the reported incident. It prevents the unsupported prosecution from continuing through the criminal system.