- 1 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 17TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S.R. KRISHNA KUMAR CRIMINAL PETITION NO.4504 OF 2023 BETWEEN: MR. SRINIVAS BHAT S/O GANESH BHAT AGED ABOUT 36 YEARS R/AT NO.B.8-14, 1098/5, FLAT NO.105, MATRIX WEST WINGS, KAMBLA CROSS ROAD, ALAKE, MANGALURU, DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT - 575 003. …PETITIONER (BY SRI. K. RAVISHANKAR, ADVOCATE) AND: 1. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA CEN CYBER CRIME, MANGALURU CITY, DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT - 575 001. REP. BY THE S.P.P., HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, BENGALURU - 560 001. 2. SUSHIMI SHENOY D/O LATE DINESH SHENOY AGED ABOUT 30 YEARS R/AT NO.17/1340, MANGERLI, KAPRIGUDDA, 1ST CROSS, MANGALURU, DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT - 575 001. …RESPONDENTS (BY SMT. RASHMI JADHAV, ADDL. SPP FOR R1; RESPONDENT NO.2 - SERVED AND UNREPRESENTED) Digitally signed by ARUNKUMAR M S Location: High Court of Karnataka - 2 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 THIS CRIMINAL PETITION IS FILED UNDER SECTION 482 OF CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, PRAYING TO QUASH THE F.I.R. IN CRIME NO.10/2021 REGISTERED BY THE RESPONDENT NO.1- CEN CRIME POLICE STATION, MANGALURU CITY FOR THE OFFENCE PUNISHABLE UNDER SECTION 67 OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT, 2008 PENDING ON THE FILE OF THE JMFC. VII COURT MANGALURU, DAKSHINA KANNADA. THIS PETITION COMING ON FOR ADMISSION, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S.R.KRISHNA KUMAR ORAL ORDER In this petition, the petitioner seeks following relief: "Quash the F.I.R. in Crime No.10/2021 registered by the respondent No.1-CEN Crime Police Station, Mangaluru City for the offences punishable under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2008 pending on the file the JMFC VII Court, Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada in the interest of justice." 2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Additional State Public Prosecutor for the respondent No.1 and perused the material on record. 3. Respondent No.2-complainant having been served with notice of the petition, has chosen to remain unrepresented and has not contested the petition. 4. A perusal of the material on record will indicate that the petitioner and the respondent No.2 got engaged on 09.08.2021 but subsequently, the engagement was broken and the marriage - 3 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 between the petitioner and the respondent No.2 did not take place. Thereafter, the respondent No.2-complainant lodged the impugned complaint against the petitioner alleging violation of Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Section 67 of the Information Technology Act reads as under: "67. Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.–Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees and in the event of second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and also with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees." 5. The said complaint lodged by the respondent No.2 against the petitioner reads as under: "15/09/2021 jAzÀ, ¸ÀÄ²ä ±ÀuÉå (28), D/O Lt. ¢£ÉÃ±ï ±ÀuÉå, ªÀÄAUÉý, 17/1340, PÁ¦æUÀÄqÀØ, 1£Éà CqÀØ gÀ¸ÉÛ, ªÀÄAUÀ¼ÀÆgÀÄ-1. jUÉ, oÁuÁ¢üPÁj, CEN, CRIME ¥ÉÆð¸ï oÁuÉ, ªÀÄAUÀ¼ÀÆgÀÄ £ÀUÀgÀ. - 4 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 ªÀiÁ£ÀågÉ, £Á£ÀÄ F ªÉÄð£À «¼Á¸ÀzÀ°è ªÁ¸ÀªÁVzÀÄÝ CPÀÌ£ÁzÀ ®QëöäAiÀĪÀgÀ rfl¯ï ªÀiÁPÉðnAUï£À°è ¸ÀºÁAiÀÄPÀ¼ÁV PÉ®¸À ªÀiÁrPÉÆArzÉÝãÉ. dÆ£ï 2021£À°è £À£Àß ªÀÄ£ÉAiÀĪÀgÀÄ £À£ÀUÉ ²æäªÁ¸ï ¨sÀmï JA§ ªÀÄAUÀ¼ÀÄj£À°è ªÁ¸ÀªÁVgÀĪÀ ºÀÄqÀÄUÀ£À eÉÆvÉ ªÀÄzÀÄªÉ ªÀiÁqÀ®Ä ¥ÀæxÀªÀÄ ºÀAvÀzÀ ªÀiÁvÀÄPÀvÉ £ÀqɹzÀgÀÄ. DvÀ£À ªÀÄ£É PÀÄzÉÆý §½PÀ D¼ÀQ DVgÀÄvÀÛzÉ. ¢£ÁAPÀ 9/8/2021 gÀAzÀÄ DvÀ£À ºÁUÀÆ £À£Àß PÀÄlÄA§¸ÀÜgÀÄ ¸ÉÃj ¤²ÑvÁxÀð ¢£À ¤UÀ¢¥Àr¸ÀÄvÁÛgÉ. D §½PÀ ²Ã¤ªÁ¸À ¨sÀmï £À£Àß eÉÆvÉ ªÀåPÀÛ¥Àn¸À°PÉÌ PÀµÀÖªÁUÀĪÀµÀÄÖ C²èî PÁªÀÄ¥ÀæªÉÆÃzÀPÀ ªÀiÁvÀÄUÀ¼À£ÀÄß ªÉƨÉʯï£À°è ªÀiÁvÀ£ÁqÀ®Ä ºÁUÀÆ ªÉĸÉÃeï PÀ¼ÀAiÀÄ»¸À®Ä ±ÀÄgÀÄ ªÀiÁrzÀgÀÄ. £Á£ÀÄ £À£Àß ªÀÄzÀÄªÉ PÉýPÉÆArzÉÝêÉ. £À£Àß EZÉÒUÉ «gÀÄzÀÞªÁV F PɼÀV£À ªÉĸÉÃeï ªÉƨÉʯï£À°è ¢£ÁAPÀªÁgÀÄ «ªÀgÀ: 22/07/2021 - "I need to find another wife for 10 pm duty". 31/07/2021 - "After 10, I will party with wife No.2." 5/08/2021 - "Transparent Bathroom" §ÄPï ªÀiÁqÀĪÀ «µÀAiÀÄ 5/08/2021 - "You will softer than Priya." ¢£ÁAPÀ 9/8/2021 gÀAzÀÄ ªÀÄAUÀ¼ÀÆj£À Ocean Party Hotel £À°è £À«Ää§âgÀ PÀÄlÄA§¸ÀÜgÀ ¸ÀªÀÄPÀëªÀÄzÀ°è ¤²ÑvÁxÀð PÁAiÀÄðPÀæªÀÄ £ÀqÉ¢gÀÄvÀÛzÉ. CzÁzÀ §½PÀ ²æäªÁ¸ï ¨sÀmï £À£Àß eÉÆvÉ ªÉƨÉÊ¯ï ªÉĸÉÃeï ªÀÄÆ®PÀ vÁ£ÀÄ ¸À°èAUÀPÁ«Ä (GAY) JA§ «µÀAiÀĪÀ£ÀÄß Whatsapp SMS ªÀÄÆ®PÀ ºÉýzÀ£ÀÄ. £À£Àß EZÀÒUÉ «gÀÄzÀÞªÁV £Á£ÀÄ ºÉÆA¢PÉÆAqÀÄ ¸ÀA¸ÁgÀ £ÀqɸÀ¨ÉÃPÁV ªÀåPÀÛ¥Àr¹zÀ£ÀÄ, D ªÉĸÉÃeïUÀ¼ÀÄ F PɼÀV£ÀAwzÉ - 27/8- "Actually I'm Gay But it ok will work out something. We'll run the same." »AzÀÆ ¸ÀA¥ÀæzÁAiÀÄUÀ½UÉ «gÀÄzÀÞªÁV F jÃwAiÀÄ C²èî PÁªÀÄ¥ÀæZÉÆÃzÀPÀ ªÉĸÉeïUÀ¼À£ÀÄß ªÉƨÉʯï£À°è £À£ÀUÉ PÀ¼ÀÄ»¹ £À£ÀUÉ ªÀiÁ£À¹PÀ QgÀÄPÀļÀ ¤Ãr vÉÆAzÀgÉ¥Àr¹gÀÄvÁÛgÉ. DzÀÄzÀjAzÀ ²æäªÁ¸ï ¨sÀmï JA§ÄªÀgÀ ªÉÄÃ¯É ¸ÀÆPÀÛ PÁ£ÀÆ£ÀÄ PÀæªÀÄ PÉÊUÉƼÀ ¨ÉÃPÁV «£ÀAw¸ÀÄvÉÛãÉ. (Whatsapp ZÁmï£À ¥ÀæwUÀ¼À£ÀÄß ®UÀwÛ PÀ½¸ÀÄvÉÛãÉ). £ÀªÀÄä M¼ÀUÉ ªÀiÁvÀÄPÀvÉAiÀÄ ªÀÄÆ®PÀ §UɺÀj¸À®Ä ¥ÀæAiÀÄwß¹ «¥sÀ®gÁzÀ PÁgÀt £ÀAvÀgÀ zÀÆgÀÄ ¤ÃrgÀĪÀÅzÁVzÉ. vÀªÀÄä «±Áé¹ (¸À»)" - 5 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 6. A perusal of the aforesaid provision contained under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act and averments made in the complaint, is sufficient to come to the conclusion that necessary ingredients constituting offence punishable under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act have not been made out against the petitioner. In other words, the plain reading of the averments made in the complaint, even assuming that they are taken at face value would not lead to the conclusion that the petitioner is guilty of the offences alleged against him, especially, when the alleged WhatsApp Messages, chats etc., are said to be made during the period of Courtship between the petitioner and the respondent No.2, who got engaged, only for the same to be broken and the impugned complaint is clearly vexatious made with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives warranting interference by this Court in the present petition. 7. In the result, I pass the following: O R D E R 1) Criminal Petition is allowed; - 6 - NC: 2025:KHC:7054 CRL.P NO.4504 OF 2023 2) F.I.R in Crime No.10/2021 registered by the CEN Crime Police Station, Mangaluru City against the petitioner for the offence punishable under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2008 pending on the file of the JMFC VII Court, Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada District is hereby quashed. SD/- (S.R. KRISHNA KUMAR) JUDGE ARK List No.: 2 Sl No.: 5