Karnataka High Court Denies Closure of Case Against Accused in Temple Entry Denial

The Karnataka High Court has rejected the plea to close a criminal case against eight individuals accused of barring a Scheduled Caste (SC) family's entry into the Gadi Chowdeshwari Temple, accompanied by verbal abuse and physical assault. Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasized that temple deities are for everyone, denouncing any form of discrimination. The Court stated, "Deity in the temple cannot even be imagined to be belonging to a few. Worshipping of the deity, by entering into the temple, is to be given to one and all. Any kind of bigotry or discrimination is unacceptable."

The accused argued that their actions within the temple, aimed at preventing the SC family's entry, should not attract the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. However, the Court held that the temple is a public place for invoking the SC/ST Act. Justice Nagaprasanna declared, "The abuses are hurled and hurled in public, which is viewed by the public as it was outside the doors of the Temple and the Temple is, trite, a public place."

Rejecting the accused's contention that no offense was made out, the Court noted the regressive attitude evident in the denial of temple entry based on caste. "This discrimination should stop and stop forthwith. The fact that it is still prevailing shocks the conscience of the Court. Human beings are to be treated as human beings," remarked the Court.

The complainant's family had faced the alleged attack in 2016, resulting in a criminal complaint under the SC/ST Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Dismissing the accused's plea, the Court emphasized the need for the trial to proceed, highlighting the persisting discrimination despite constitutional provisions against untouchability.

Author: Anushka Taraniya

News Writer, MIT ADT University