The Karnataka High Court refused to quash an attempt to murder case arising from a Bengaluru road rage incident, saying such acts cannot be taken lightly. The Court told the accused to return after the charge sheet is filed, stressing that “road rages will not be pardoned.”
The Karnataka High Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition filed by a Bengaluru-based software engineer who had approached the Court to quash an attempt to murder case registered against him in a road rage incident. The Court made it clear that incidents of road rage cannot be taken lightly, especially in a city like Bengaluru where traffic congestion is a daily reality.
While hearing the matter, Justice M Nagaprasanna strongly observed that people must learn to control their anger on the roads and exercise patience while driving. The Court made a significant oral remark stating,
“If you have no patience, then there is nothing to do. Bangalore traffic will teach you patience. But you should have it. No road rages will be pardoned,”
held the Court.
The case relates to an incident that allegedly took place on October 26, 2025. On that day, a couple along with their child were travelling on a Honda Dio scooter from Tindlu towards Indiranagar in Bengaluru. When they reached near the MS Ramaiah Hospital signal, a red Tata car allegedly hit their scooter from behind. Due to the impact, all three people on the scooter fell on the road. According to the complaint, the accident happened due to a road rage incident.
It was reported that the scooter rider suffered injuries on the left side of his ribs after falling on the road. Following the incident, the police initially registered a case under Section 281 of the Indian Penal Code for rash driving on a public way and Section 125(A) of the IPC for acts endangering life or personal safety.
The police also added Sections 134(A) and 134(B) of the Motor Vehicles Act, which deal with the duty of a driver involved in an accident to help the injured and report the incident, along with Section 187 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which provides punishment for failing to comply with those duties.
Later, when the case was transferred from the traffic police to the Sadashivnagar Police Station, a more serious charge was added. The police invoked Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with attempt to murder, making the case much more serious.
The lawyer appearing for the petitioner, Advocate HM Gopal, argued before the Court that the case was purely a road traffic accident and not an attempt to murder. He argued that there was no intention or motive on the part of the petitioner to cause harm to the victims. During the hearing, he submitted,
“An attempt to murder case has been registered without any statement. The petitioner had no malicious intent,”
argued Gopal.
The lawyer further argued that there was no deliberate intention to cause harm and that the people involved in the incident were simply on their way to work when the accident happened. He requested the Court to quash the attempt to murder charge.
However, the Court did not agree with the argument at this stage. The Court observed that road rage incidents can sometimes lead to very serious offences and therefore such matters cannot be dismissed at an early stage of investigation. The Court indicated that it was not inclined to interfere in the case at the present stage while the investigation was still ongoing.
When the lawyer continued to request the Court to quash the case, the Court told him that he could come back to the Court after the police filed the charge sheet in the case. The Court clearly stated, “Come after charge sheet,” directed the Court.
Finally, the petitioner decided to withdraw the petition. The Court allowed the withdrawal and also gave him liberty to approach the Court again in the future if the final report or charge sheet goes against him.
This case once again highlights the serious view taken by courts in road rage matters and sends a strong message that aggressive driving and road rage behaviour can lead to serious criminal charges, including attempt to murder in extreme cases.
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