Chopping off limbs may make people comply with law: Karnataka HC judge
text_fields
The Karnataka High Court declined to grant bail to a 23-year-old engineering student accused of rape, with the presiding judge observing that crimes were increasingly being committed casually because the law had lost its deterrent effect.
While hearing the bail petition, Justice R Nataraj remarked that offenders were not being dealt with firmly enough under the existing legal framework. According to reports, he suggested that the perceived lack of stringent consequences had made the commission of offences easier and argued that stronger punishments could serve as a deterrent, The News Minute reported.
The judge also reportedly referred to punishments in certain West Asian countries, suggesting that harsher penalties often led to greater compliance with the law. He further observed that democratic systems sometimes resulted in people taking legal consequences for granted.
The accused, identified as Gopi Reddy Karthik Reddy, is a student at Manipal Institute of Technology and has remained in judicial custody since April 5.
His lawyer argued before the court that the student had already spent nearly two months in prison despite maintaining that he had committed no offence. The defence contended that the allegations related to an incident said to have occurred in September 2023 and argued that continued incarceration could negatively affect the petitioner’s academic progress and future career prospects.
During the proceedings, the judge made further oral observations indicating that a period in custody could help an accused understand the consequences of criminal allegations and possible punishment.
The court subsequently issued notice to the state government and scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 8.
According to the prosecution, the complainant and the accused were classmates at Manipal Institute of Technology. Investigators said the woman alleged that the accused had persuaded her to accompany him to an apartment on September 12, 2023, under the pretext of discussing their relationship and had sexually assaulted her there.
The complainant stated that the incident caused severe emotional trauma and depression, for which she underwent treatment at KMC Manipal. She later approached the National Commission for Women before filing a police complaint.
The case was registered at the Udupi Women Police Station under Sections 375(a) and 376 of the Indian Penal Code. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on June 8.