LI Network
Published on: 21 July 2023 at 18:20 IST
The Karnataka High Court has recently put a temporary halt to the legal proceedings in a case involving seven students from Bengaluru Jain University Center for Management Studies. These students were accused of violating the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act) for their involvement in organizing a satirical play that targeted Dr. BR Ambedkar and the Dalit community.
In response to a plea filed by the seven students, seeking the dismissal of the first information report (FIR) filed against them and the ongoing proceedings in the trial court, single-judge Justice M Nagaprasanna issued the interim order.
The Court directed, “There shall be an interim order of stay of further proceedings qua petitioners in Crime No.32 of 2023 pending before the LXX Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge and Special Judge, Bengaluru till the next date of hearing.”
Representing the petitioners during the hearing, Senior Advocate S Sriranga argued that the students had performed the short play as a parody and had no malicious intent behind it. He emphasized that satirical literature has a long history of critiquing ideas, concepts, policies, or individuals through the lens of humor.
The plea also cited Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which protects the freedom of speech and expression, highlighting that the expression of opinions should be safeguarded.
The incident in question occurred during the Yuva Janotsava event organized by the college at the Nimhans Hall in Bengaluru on February 8. The students presented a satirical short play (Mad-Ad skit) that centered around the reservation system.
However, it was alleged that the students engaged in objectionable conversations about Dr. BR Ambedkar and the Dalit community during the performance. As a result, a video of the play went viral on social media, leading to public outrage.
Following a complaint filed by the Assistant Director of the State Social Welfare Department on February 10, 2023, the police registered an FIR under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and subsequently arrested the students. However, they were later released on bail.
Seeking to quash the case against them, the students approached the High Court for relief, with advocates Ashwini Ravindra and Sumana Naganand representing them.
The interim stay by the Karnataka High Court provides temporary respite to the seven students, and the next hearing on the matter is awaited to further deliberate on the case.
