Karnataka High Court Quashes Sedition FIR Against Shaheen School Management Over Anti-CAA Play

In a recent development, the High Court of Karnataka has quashed the sedition FIR filed against the management of a school in Bidar for staging a play against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizenship (NRC). The decision comes as a relief for the school and its management who had been under fire and controversy for their activities.

Justice Hemant Chandangoudar, at the Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court, passed the order, quashing the FIR registered by the police against four members of the management of the Shaheen school in Bidar in 2020.

Earlier, four members of the school management were charged under Sections 504 (insulting someone intentionally), 505(2), 124A (sedition), 153A (causing disharmony between religious groups) read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, with the recent decision by the High Court of Karnataka, the charges against them stand withdrawn.

This case was initially brought to light when Nilesh Rakshala, an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist complained against the school on January 26, 2020. Rakshala alleged that a play staged by the students of class 4, 5, and 6 had insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, with the latest ruling by the court, the school and its management have been cleared of allegations of breach of any laws, and declared to be within their rights to stage a play against the CAA and the NRC.

On January 21, 2020, the school had staged a play which caused a controversy after a parent uploaded a video of it online.

Although the HC had announced the order quashing the FIR on Wednesday (14 June), the copy of the judgement is yet to be received.