The Karnataka High Court declined to grant interim protection to a Kodagu homestay owner who has challenged criminal proceedings initiated against him in connection with a case involving allegations of sexual assault on a US tourist.
While hearing the petition, Justice M. Nagaprasanna directed the State to place the entire investigation record before the Court and indicated that the matter required closer scrutiny before any interim relief could be considered.
Background of the Case
The case arises from allegations that a 33-year-old American tourist was sexually assaulted at a homestay in Kodagu in April this year. According to the prosecution, a homestay employee allegedly served the tourist a drink that was spiked before the alleged assault took place.
The employee accused in the case was arrested and remains in judicial custody. Separately, the homestay owner, Palecanda Ponnappa, was arrested on April 19 on allegations that he concealed information related to the incident. He was later granted bail.
Ponnappa has now approached the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR and compensation of ₹15 lakh, alleging that his arrest violated his fundamental rights.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Angad Kamath argued that the arrest was unlawful and that media reports had projected the homestay owner as having prior knowledge of the alleged incident despite the complaint not containing such allegations.
The petitioner also contended that CCTV footage and other materials supplied to investigators would demonstrate that he was not involved in the alleged offence. It was further argued that the complainant's statement did not directly implicate him and that certain legal provisions were added later during the investigation.
Counsel submitted that the criminal case had severely affected the homestay business and reputation of the petitioner.
Justice Nagaprasanna was not inclined to halt the investigation at this stage and emphasized the seriousness of the allegations under examination.
The Court remarked,
“There's not a case where I could grant a blanket stay straight away. I want to see the investigation papers.”
The judge also underlined the gravity of the matter, observing,
“If a citizen of another country is raped here, it's a very serious offence.”
When the petitioner's request for compensation was referred to during the hearing, the Court remarked,
“What do you want? Do you want to repair the homestay?”
The Bench further indicated that it would first examine the investigation materials before assessing whether any constitutional or legal rights of the petitioner had been violated.
“If there is some involvement of yours, we will see whether your fundamental rights are violated or not. Let the investigation papers be produced first,” the Court observed.
The Karnataka High Court declined to grant any interim stay on the FIR proceedings or the ongoing investigation against the homestay owner at this stage.
The Court directed the State's Additional Special Public Prosecutor to produce the complete investigation records conducted so far and posted the matter for further hearing on June 10, 2026.
Case Details
Case Title: Palecanda Ponnappa @ Vishal v. State of Karnataka & Anr.
Case Number: CRL.P. No. 7712/2026Judge: Justice M. NagaprasannaDecision Date: June 8, 2026
