Karnataka High Court Quashes FIR Over Slogans

The Karnataka High Court quashed an FIR against five individuals accused of promoting enmity for chanting 'Bharath Matha Ki Jai', asserting that such slogans promote harmony rather than discord. The petitioners claimed they were attacked by a group of 25 while returning from the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resulting in serious injuries. Following the attack, a counter-complaint was filed alleging the petitioners threatened individuals near a mosque. Justice M. Nagaprasanna deemed the subsequent FIR a misuse of Section 153A of the IPC, stating it was a 'classic illustration of counterblast' to the original complaint. The court emphasized that the allegations did not meet the ingredients necessary for Section 153A, as the chanting was not intended to harm communal harmony. This ruling highlights the court’s stance on the protection of freedom of expression in the context of nationalistic slogans.