High Court pulls up activist Puneet Kerehalli over social media conduct

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday came down heavily on activist Puneet Kerehalli while hearing his petition seeking to quash a case registered against him for allegedly assaulting a Myanmar refugee.

The court warned that creating reels, posting on Facebook, or abusing the police on social media cannot be justified under the guise of activism. Hearing the petition, Justice M. Nagaprasanna observed that an individual involved in a criminal case must behave responsibly, especially when the matter is under judicial scrutiny.

“Assaulting someone or insulting the police just to gain attention on social media is not acceptable,” the judge remarked sternly. The case pertains to an FIR registered at Chennammanakere Achukattu police station in Bengaluru, accusing Puneet Kerehalli of attacking a Myanmar national.

Seeking cancellation of the case, Puneet had approached the High Court claiming procedural lapses by the police. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate P.N. Manmohan argued that the police had issued a final notice to Puneet on January 13, directing him to appear on January 16.

However, instead of waiting for his response, the police filed the charge sheet the very next day. The lawyer contended that Puneet was not given a fair opportunity to present his version before the investigating agency.

Responding to the allegations, Additional State Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadish, representing the police, informed the court that Puneet had violated bail conditions in another case and had failed to appear despite court directions.

He further assured the bench that if Puneet cooperated with the investigation, no coercive action would be taken against him. The prosecutor also brought to the court’s notice that after the High Court granted interim relief to Puneet in a separate FIR registered at Soladevanahalli police station, he allegedly posted derogatory comments against the police on social media platforms.

Copies of those statements would be submitted to the court, he said. Taking serious note of this, Justice Nagaprasanna questioned the petitioner’s conduct. “Has Puneet created another controversy? Can he not remain calm? When the matter is pending before the court, how can the petitioner behave in such a manner? The case has not been quashed; only an interim stay has been granted,” the judge observed.

The court cautioned that such behaviour could adversely affect the legal proceedings and advised the petitioner to maintain restraint. Puneet’s counsel apologised on his behalf and assured the bench that he would be properly advised to avoid any provocative actions in the future.

The High Court is expected to continue hearing the matter in the coming days while examining whether due procedure was followed by the police during the investigation.

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