The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against two men accused of shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' inside a mosque, ruling that their actions did not "outrage the religious feelings of any class."

The court's decision, issued last month and made public on Tuesday, stems from an incident in September last year in Dakshin Kannada district, where the two men entered a mosque at night and raised the slogan. They were subsequently charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 295A (hurting religious beliefs), 447 (criminal trespass), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

The accused sought to have the charges dismissed, arguing that a mosque is a public place, so their entry did not amount to criminal trespass. They also contended that raising 'Jai Shri Ram' did not meet the criteria of Section 295A, which addresses acts intended to deliberately insult a religion or its beliefs.

In its ruling, the High Court agreed, stating that the incident did not have an adverse impact on public order and did not meet the threshold for criminal charges under Section 295A. "It is difficult to see how shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' would outrage the religious feelings of any class, especially when the complainant himself stated that Hindus and Muslims live in harmony in the area," the court noted, as per Bar and Bench.

The Karnataka government had opposed the dismissal, arguing that further investigation was necessary, but the court rejected this, ruling that the charges lacked sufficient grounds and allowing them to proceed would amount to an "abuse of the process of law" and "miscarriage of justice."