The Karnataka High Court recently observed that crimes are increasingly being committed casually because offenders are not being dealt with firmly enough under existing laws.
The remarks were made while considering a bail application filed by a 23-year-old rape accused in the case Gopi Reddy Karthik Reddy v. State of Karnataka.
Justice Karnataka stated that people often take the freedoms provided in a democratic society for granted. During the hearing, he remarked that stricter punishments, similar to those imposed in some Middle Eastern countries, might deter criminal behavior.
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"Law has lost its teeth because we don't deal with offenders firmly. That is why committing an offence has become so easy unlike in the Middle East. If you chop a leg or hand, perhaps only then people will realise the need to comply with the law. Because we have a democracy, everybody takes it for granted," the judge observed orally.
The comments came during arguments on the bail plea of Gopi Reddy Karthik Reddy, a student of MIT Manipal, who has been in judicial custody since April 5 on charges of rape.
While declining immediate bail, the Court remarked, "If you eat salt, you got to drink water. Let him stay another four-five days. Let him get used to prison. Who knows, if you are punished, you may have to go back."
The Court issued notice to the State and scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 8.
Counsel for the accused, Advocate Ayantika Mondal, argued that Reddy had been in custody for nearly two months and maintained that no offence had been committed. She submitted that the allegations relate to an incident said to have occurred almost three years ago and that continued incarceration could adversely affect the petitioner's career prospects.
According to the prosecution, the complainant and the accused were classmates at Manipal Institute of Technology. The complainant alleged that the accused expressed romantic interest in her in July 2023 and that she initially reciprocated. However, she later became suspicious of his conduct and distanced herself from him.
The complaint further states that on September 12, 2023, the accused allegedly persuaded her to visit his apartment to discuss their relationship and subsequently sexually assaulted her against her will.
The woman claimed that the incident caused severe emotional trauma and depression, for which she underwent treatment at KMC, Manipal. She later approached the National Commission for Women before filing a formal complaint with the police.
Following the complaint, a case was registered at the Udupi Women Police Station under Sections 375(a) and 376 of the Indian Penal Code.