The Karnataka High Court has ruled that shouting "Jai Shri Ram" inside a mosque did not "outrage the religious feelings of any class."

In a ruling delivered last month, Justice M. Nagaprasanna quashed criminal proceedings against two individuals, Keerthan Kumar and Sachin Kumar, both residents of Dakshin Kannada district, reported Bar and Bench.

The case arose when the two men reportedly entered a local mosque in September of the previous year and shouted "Jai Shri Ram." They faced charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 295A, 447, and 506.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna stated in the court order, “Section 295A deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. It is ununderstandable as to how if someone shouts ‘Jai Sriram’ it would outrage the religious feeling of any class. When the complainant himself states that Hindu – Muslims are living in harmony in the area the incident by no stretch of imagination can result in antimony.” 

The Karnataka High Court said that not every act constitutes an offense under Section 295A. It noted that actions that do not disturb public peace or order cannot lead to charges under this section.

The court concluded that proceeding against the petitioners would amount to an abuse of legal process and result in a miscarriage of justice, finding no basis for the alleged offenses.