Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court made strong oral remarks during a bail hearing in a rape case involving an engineering student. The observation came while the court heard arguments on custody and allegations linked to an incident reported in 2023.
Justice R Nataraj, during proceedings, said, “If you chop a leg or hand, perhaps only then people will realise how to comply with law.” He added that people treat legal compliance casually in a democracy. He further said crime appears routine due to weak enforcement of law.
The judge also observed, “People are committing crimes casually as well as in a routine manner, only because offenders are not dealt with firmly under the law. Law has lost its teeth because we do not deal with offenders firmly. That is why committing an offence has become so easy unlike in the Middle East.”
The remarks came after the petitioner’s counsel argued that the engineering student had been in judicial custody for nearly two months without committing any offence. The lawyer also said the allegations relate to an incident said to have occurred around three years ago.
Police told the court that the accused and complainant studied at the same engineering college in Manipal. The complainant alleged that the accused took her to an apartment under the pretext of discussing their friendship and then sexually assaulted her. She later approached the National Commission for Women before filing a complaint at a women’s police station.
The High Court issued notice to the state government and posted the matter for further hearing on June 8.
