Today, On 18th September, The Karnataka High Court dismissed a case against the NCPCR chief over a tweet comparing a Muslim orphanage to the “Taliban.” While clearing the charges, the court emphasized that public officials should exercise caution and restraint when making public statements. The tweet sparked controversy, leading to legal action against the official.
Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed all criminal proceedings against Priyank Kanoongo, the chief of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Kanoongo had been charged by local police for allegedly trespassing into a Muslim orphanage and posting on social media that the children there were living under “Taliban-like rule.”
Justice M. Nagaprasanna ruled in favor of Kanoongo’s petition to quash the FIR and the criminal proceedings initiated by Bengaluru police in November last year.
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The case originally filed following a complaint from Ashraf Khan, the secretary of the orphanage. However, the Court observed that Kanoongo’s post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) did not contain any references to terrorism, as claimed in the complaint.
The Karnataka High Court, while quashing the criminal proceedings against NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo, also made an oral remark advising public officials to exercise caution when making public statements.
The Court stated,
“Government officials should encourage restraint. When you go and report, it should reflect what you have observed. You should not tweet about it.”
Kanoongo and a team from the NCPCR visited the orphanage on November 19, 2022, to conduct a surprise inspection. The orphanage authorities later accused him of entering the premises without proper permission and making defamatory statements on social media without any factual basis.
Following the visit, Kanoongo took to the platform X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the conditions at the orphanage, which led to the allegations against him.
Advocate Vatsal Joshi represented Kanoongo in the case.