The accused stormed into Colors Unisex Salon, near KSRTC bus stand at Bejai, in Mangaluru on January 23, 2025.
| Photo Credit: H S MANJUNATH
While strongly rebuking the accused for their alleged act of ‘moral policing’, a Mangaluru court applied the principle of ‘bail is a rule and jail is an exception’ while granting bail to 11 of the 14 persons, including a journalist, arrested in connection with ruckus at a salon in the city.
In the order dated February 5, 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge K.P. Preethi said: “In a civilized society, each and every responsibility to maintain law and order is entrusted to particular wings of the administration. If any illegalities or immorality have really taken place in the salon, as a responsible citizen, the accused were required to inform the same to the police or to the city corporation to take necessary action for prevention of such illegalities.”
The judge further noted: “If the concerned authority failed to do so, the accused can even approach the competent court for redressal of grievance and for appropriate remedy. Therefore, in a civilized society, alleged acts of moral policing is totally prohibited and is required to be viewed very seriously. Such an action of the accused cannot be encouraged.”
The judge said considering the nature of the offence, accused are entitled to bail, and no purpose will be served by further detaining them in judicial custody. The apprehension of the prosecution can be met by imposing stringent conditions, the judge said.
The judge made these observation while allowing criminal miscellaneous petitions filed by Rama Sene chief Prasad Attavar, alleged Sene activists Deepak Poojary, Mohandas, Kalimuttu, Harsharaj, Vignesh Shetty, Raveesh, Ankith, Suketh, Pradeep Poojary and video journalist Sharan Raj.
More than 10 persons stormed a unisex salon in a building near KSRTC bus stand at Bejai on January 23 and ransacked the premises alleging immoral activity. They were accused of throwing condoms in the premises, assaulting women employees and also attempting to murder a woman employee. They were also accused of robbing articles from the salon.
Prasad Attavar, the alleged mastermind, journalist Sharan Raj, who recorded the incident and shared footage with other journalists, were among 14 persons arrested on January 24. All the 13 have been in Mangaluru prison since their arrest.
The judge noted: “If there was any such intention to commit either murder or dacoity, in the normal course of human conduct, no one would trespass the premises openly without suppressing their identity and by permitting one of the accused to videograph the incident. Therefore, at this stage, it is highly improbable to believe that the accused have committed the robbery or dacoity as alleged by the prosecution.”
Published – February 07, 2025 12:07 pm IST