The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a criminal case filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against seven students from Jain University in Bengaluru. The case stemmed from a skit performed during a college festival, which was allegedly satirical but accused of containing derogatory remarks about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Dalit community.
The court ruled that the skit, which was part of a Mad Ads performance, was a form of entertainment and satire protected under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Justice S R Krishna Kumar, in his order, emphasized that the performance lacked the intent to publicly humiliate or insult members of the SC/ST community, and there was no evidence to support claims of malice or disrespect toward Dalits.
The case came to light in February 2023 when a video of the performance went viral, leading to a complaint filed by Madhusudhan K N, assistant director at the Social Welfare Department. He argued that the performance, which was staged in a public setting and widely shared online, should be investigated under the SC/ST Act.
However, the court noted that the FIR was not filed by a member of the SC/ST community, and there was no concrete evidence indicating that the students intentionally sought to insult or intimidate Dalits. The ruling also referenced multiple Supreme Court judgments, highlighting that continuing the case would amount to an abuse of legal process.
In addition to the students, two faculty members—director Neelkant Borkar and assistant professor Praveen Thokdar—were also named in the case. The court’s ruling marks the end of the legal proceedings, with the students and faculty members cleared of the charges.
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