The Karnataka High Court quashed the FIR against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a Bengaluru land encroachment case, finding no material evidence against him. The Court held that criminal proceedings cannot continue without proper proof linking the accused to the alleged offence.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday quashed the FIR registered against Art of Living Foundation head and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a land encroachment case linked to a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning alleged encroachment of government land in Bengaluru.
Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order while allowing a petition filed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar seeking to quash the criminal case registered against him. The FIR was registered by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) after earlier proceedings related to alleged encroachment in Kaggalipura village, Uttarahalli Hobli, Bengaluru South Taluk.
The issue originally began with a PIL filed in 2023 by Chandra Sekaran N and others, who sought demolition of certain structures allegedly built on government land. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was named as one of the respondents in the PIL on allegations that he was involved in the encroachment.
However, Ravi Shankar had denied the allegations and stated that he did not own any land in the area and that he was made a party to the case for ulterior motives. The High Court later closed the PIL in September 2024 and directed the State government to take action against any encroachers in accordance with the law.
After the PIL was disposed of, the BMTF registered a suo motu FIR in the matter and included Ravi Shankar as one of the accused in the land encroachment case. This led Ravi Shankar to approach the High Court seeking that the FIR against him be quashed.
During the hearing, Ravi Shankar’s counsel argued that even in a memo filed by the State’s counsel in the earlier PIL, his name was not included in the list of alleged encroachers. It was also pointed out that Ravi Shankar was not named in the proceedings before the Land Grabbing Court in 2024 related to the same issue.
On the other hand, Special Public Prosecutor Belliappa opposed the plea and argued that since this was a land encroachment matter, the investigation should be allowed to continue. He also submitted that there were no plans to arrest Ravi Shankar during the investigation but maintained that if a person is suspected of land encroachment, the police have the right to investigate the matter.
After considering the arguments and the records placed before it, the Karnataka High Court decided to quash the FIR registered against Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the land encroachment case.
The Court found that Ravi Shankar’s name did not appear in the State’s own memo listing alleged encroachers and he was also not named in the Land Grabbing Court proceedings, which raised serious doubts about the basis of the FIR against him. Taking note of these facts, the Court held that continuing criminal proceedings against him would not be justified and therefore quashed the case.
This judgment is significant because it reiterates that criminal law cannot be used against a person without proper material evidence and that merely being named in earlier proceedings without supporting records cannot be a ground for criminal prosecution. The ruling also highlights that investigative agencies must ensure there is clear material before naming individuals in FIRs, especially in land encroachment matters involving multiple parties and civil disputes.
The Karnataka High Court’s decision brings relief to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and once again underlines the principle that criminal proceedings should not continue when there is no material evidence linking the accused to the alleged offence.
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