The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against an NRI student over an offensive Instagram post made shortly after the death of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, while warning the student about the timing and context of his social media conduct.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order on September 18, 2026, taking a lenient view after considering the student's educational and career prospects.
Background
The case arose from an Instagram post uploaded in 2021 following Puneeth Rajkumar's death. The prosecution alleged that the post showed a Kingfisher beer bottle along with an offensive reference to “Rajkumar”.
A criminal case was registered by Subramanya Nagar Police Station under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act along with Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code.
The student's counsel argued that the post did not necessarily refer to the actor and submitted that it had been made by his friends. It was also argued that the continuation of the criminal proceedings could adversely affect the student's future.
The High Court strongly criticised the conduct, particularly because of the timing of the post following the actor's death.
The Court observed,
“It is rather sad that such a post has been put up immediately after the expiry of a well-respected film actor.”
The Court also rejected the suggestion that “Rajkumar” could simply be treated as a generic reference in the circumstances.
Considering that the petitioner had been brought up in London, had recently come to India and was pursuing his bachelor's degree, the Court decided to show leniency.
Justice Govindaraj warned the student and directed his counsel to advise him accordingly. The criminal proceedings were consequently quashed with the above observations.
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