Posters Called a Supreme Court Verdict "Denial of Justice". 7 Years On, a High Court Said: Dissent

Описание: In November 2019, posters on roadside walls in Mangaluru called a Supreme Court judgment a "denial of justice" and asked people to "raise the voice for justice". The police registered a criminal case (Crime No. 222/2019, FIR of 16 November 2019) against 13 people under Sections 153A, 295A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of the Karnataka Open Place Disfigurement Act. On 15 October 2026, almost seven years later, the High Court of Karnataka quashed it, calling the posters "dissent about the judgment" within the scope of Articles 19 and 21.

We read the 11-page oral order (Criminal Petition No. 671 of 2021, Justice H.P. Sandesh): what the police complaint said, the State's argument in its own words (paragraph 7), the petitioners' arguments and the 2024 Supreme Court judgment they relied on, and the court's reasoning (paragraphs 9 to 11). The order does not name the Supreme Court judgment the posters criticised, and we do not guess. We do not name the petitioners, who are private citizens.

We then look at the law that is actually about criticising courts: Article 19(2), the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 (criminal contempt, fair comment on decided cases, truth as a defence since 2006), the Supreme Court's 1978 judgment that fair criticism "must be encouraged", and the 2020 Prashant Bhushan contempt case (guilty, fined one rupee). And the limits: one order of one judge, not binding on other High Courts; no report of an appeal found as of 24 October 2026.

■ Sources (checked 24 Oct 2026)
・High Court of Karnataka, Mahammed Hanif & Ors v State of Karnataka & Anr, CRL.P No. 671 of 2021, NC 2026:KHC:58498, oral order of 15 Oct 2026 (PDF via Bar and Bench): https://images.assettype.com/barandbe...
・Same order (PDF via LiveLaw, reported 19 Oct 2026): https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/202...
・Supreme Court of India, Rama Dayal Markarha v State of M.P., 14 Mar 1978: https://api.sci.gov.in/jonew/judis/51...
・Supreme Court of India, In re Prashant Bhushan, judgment of 14 Aug 2020: https://images.assettype.com/barandbe...
・Supreme Court of India, In re Prashant Bhushan, sentence of 31 Aug 2020: https://www.scobserver.in/wp-content/...
・Contempt of Courts (Amendment) Act, 2006 (No. 6 of 2006): https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts...
・Constitution of India, Article 19 (text via constitutionofindia.net): https://www.constitutionofindia.net/a...

■ Credits
Voice: Kokoro TTS (hexgrad/Kokoro-82M, Apache 2.0). This video uses a synthetic voice.
Photos, Wikimedia Commons: Kuskela, Narendra Modi, MohitSingh, Antônio Milena (CC BY 3.0); Ankur Panchbudhe, Steve Browne & John Verkleir (CC BY 2.0); Immanuelle (CC BY 4.0); Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, President's Secretariat (GODL-India).
Document pages: High Court of Karnataka, Supreme Court of India (court orders and judgments).
Music track: Every Day (Jazz Version) by Lukrembo
Music track: I Always Love You by Lukrembo
Music track: Wine by Lukrembo
Music track: Flower Cup by Lukrembo
Music track: Lunch by Lukrembo
Music track: Cream by Lukrembo
Music track: Cafe by Lukrembo
Source: https://freetouse.com/music