High Court of Karnataka quashes 'Pakistan Zindabad' case over slip of tongue
By Meera IyerGovernance & Policy Editor, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: AJEL / Pixabay
The High Court of Karnataka on 28 October 2026 quashed a case against a Mandya BJP protester who said he shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' by mistake.
What Happened
The High Court of Karnataka has quashed a criminal case against D.S. Ravi Kumar, a participant in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protest in Mandya who was accused of shouting "Pakistan Zindabad". Justice V. Srishananda accepted his explanation that he meant to say "Pakistan Murdabad" and that the slogan came out wrong by mistake. The ruling, dated Wednesday, 28 October 2026, was reported in legal and regional media this week. The court held that the ingredients of the offence charged were not made out and that continuing the case would be an abuse of the legal process.
Key Facts
- Court: High Court of Karnataka, single-judge bench of Justice V. Srishananda; ruling dated 28 October 2026.
- Petitioner: D.S. Ravi Kumar, who took part in a BJP protest in Mandya in December 2022.
- The case was registered by Mandya West police in 2024, about two years after the protest, under Sections 153B and 505(1)(b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
- The complaint came from a man named Kannambadi Kumar, who said he was mentally disturbed after watching a video of the protest.
- Ravi Kumar's defence: he intended to shout "Pakistan Murdabad" (death to Pakistan), not "Pakistan Zindabad" (long live Pakistan).
- The judge said it was highly unimaginable that BJP protesters would raise a "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan.
- The court also noted that the investigation did not establish who the participants were or show any resulting social unrest, and that the sanction needed to prosecute under Section 505 was not on record.
Why It Matters
Slogans about Pakistan have become a frequent subject of police cases in India, and courts are regularly asked whether a few words shouted at a rally amount to a crime. This ruling sets out the factors a court looks at: the setting in which the words were spoken, whether there was any intention to promote enmity, whether any harm followed, and whether the police followed the procedure the law requires.
Section 153B of the IPC deals with statements prejudicial to national integration, and Section 505(1)(b) with statements likely to cause fear or alarm to the public. Both require more than the words alone; the prosecution has to show the elements of the offence. A prosecution under Section 505 also needs prior sanction from the government before a court can take up the case. In this matter, according to the reports, the court found that the first offence's ingredients were missing and that the sanction for the second had not been obtained.
The delay also weighed with the court. The complaint was lodged around two years after the protest, based on a video the complainant had watched, and the police did not identify the people involved or show that the slogan had any effect on public order.
The ruling is narrow. It does not say that the slogan can never be an offence; it says that, on these facts, a slip of the tongue at a rally that was protesting against Pakistan does not meet the legal test. Similar cases elsewhere continue to be decided on their own facts.
Peepals timeline: The protest in Mandya took place in December 2022 (most reports give 18 December; one gives 22 December). A complaint led to a police case in 2024, about two years later. Ravi Kumar approached the High Court to quash it. On 28 October 2026, Justice V. Srishananda quashed the proceedings, and the ruling was reported in the first week of November 2026.
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| BJP protest in Mandya | December 2022 |
| Police case registered (IPC 153B, 505(1)(b)) | 2024 |
| High Court quashes the case | 28 October 2026 |
Impact
Short-term: The criminal proceedings against Ravi Kumar in Mandya end with the High Court's order, unless the state challenges it in a higher court.
Long-term: The order adds to the case law that trial courts and police in Karnataka can look to when complaints are filed over slogans: context, intention, harm and procedure all matter, and delay without explanation weakens a case.
Who is affected: The petitioner, the Mandya West police, political workers who take part in protests, and lawyers handling speech-related cases.
Key Takeaway
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan shouted by mistake at a BJP protest in Mandya was not a crime on the facts of the case, and has quashed the proceedings.
Questions and Answers
What did the Karnataka High Court decide in the "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan case?
In a ruling dated 28 October 2026, Justice V. Srishananda quashed the criminal case against D.S. Ravi Kumar, accepting that he had meant to shout "Pakistan Murdabad" at a BJP protest in Mandya and said the wrong word by mistake.
Which laws was the case filed under?
Mandya West police registered it in 2024 under Sections 153B and 505(1)(b) of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with statements against national integration and statements likely to cause public alarm.
Why did the court quash the case?
It found the ingredients of Section 153B were not made out, the required sanction for prosecution under Section 505 was not on record, the complaint was filed about two years after the protest, and the investigation showed no identified participants or social unrest.
Does the ruling mean shouting "Pakistan Zindabad" is never an offence?
No. The court decided this case on its own facts, including the setting of a protest against Pakistan and the lack of intent or harm. Other cases are judged on their own facts.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Meera Iyer, Governance & Policy EditorCovers Governance & Policy and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Meera Iyer
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Meera Iyer is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
