The Karnataka High Court recently stayed all proceedings against a man accused of having wrongfully confined his neighbour's pet cat..In an order passed on July 23, Justice M Nagaprasanna granted interim relief to one Taha Hussain, who was booked by the police on charges of criminal intimidation, breach of peace, and insulting the modesty of a woman under Sections 504, 506, and 509 of the Indian Penal Code.Hussain claimed that the police had registered an FIR against him following a complaint by his neighbour, who claimed that he had taken her cat. The police had even filed a chargesheet against him in the case, his counsel told the Court..The Court asked how the police had determined that the cat was indeed in Hussain's house.The petitioner's counsel told the Court that the police had gone through CCTV footage from the area and seen that the cat was in Hussain's house at one point of time. However, the cat had a habit of climbing the walls of all adjacent houses and going in and out of windows, climbing into the neighbours' windows, the petitioner said. He argued that this did not constitute a criminal offence and urged the Court to not allow such frivolous cases..While staying proceedings against Hussain, the Court said,"Permitting further proceedings in such frivolous cases will clog the criminal justice system. Therefore there shall be an interim order of stay on further proceedings till the disposal of the petition."
The Karnataka High Court recently stayed all proceedings against a man accused of having wrongfully confined his neighbour's pet cat..In an order passed on July 23, Justice M Nagaprasanna granted interim relief to one Taha Hussain, who was booked by the police on charges of criminal intimidation, breach of peace, and insulting the modesty of a woman under Sections 504, 506, and 509 of the Indian Penal Code.Hussain claimed that the police had registered an FIR against him following a complaint by his neighbour, who claimed that he had taken her cat. The police had even filed a chargesheet against him in the case, his counsel told the Court..The Court asked how the police had determined that the cat was indeed in Hussain's house.The petitioner's counsel told the Court that the police had gone through CCTV footage from the area and seen that the cat was in Hussain's house at one point of time. However, the cat had a habit of climbing the walls of all adjacent houses and going in and out of windows, climbing into the neighbours' windows, the petitioner said. He argued that this did not constitute a criminal offence and urged the Court to not allow such frivolous cases..While staying proceedings against Hussain, the Court said,"Permitting further proceedings in such frivolous cases will clog the criminal justice system. Therefore there shall be an interim order of stay on further proceedings till the disposal of the petition."
