The Karnataka High Court has criticised the State police for registering a criminal case over two missing cows, while allegedly failing to act swiftly in serious offences.
The remarks were made by Justice M Nagaprasanna while hearing a petition in the case Mangalamma and others vs State of Karnataka.
The court was dealing with a plea seeking to quash a criminal case registered in 2026 over cows that allegedly went missing in 2024.
“Go Behind Real Crimes,” Says Judge
Taking strong exception to the police action, the judge questioned the need for criminal proceedings in such a matter.
He observed that law enforcement agencies often fail to act promptly in serious offences but show unusual urgency in minor cases.
The judge remarked, “You leave the cows’ investigation. Go behind the real crimes. Why did you register this crime?”
He further added, “Real crimes, you don’t register. They have to knock at the police station’s door a hundred times. Two cows are missing two years ago and a crime is registered.”
Court Stays Investigation
The High Court described the case as an “abuse of process of law” and stayed further investigation.
It noted that roping an entire family into a criminal case over missing cattle years after the incident could not be justified under law.
The court said, “If this is permitted, it will become an abuse of the process of law on the face of it.”
Earlier Remarks on Police Priorities
This is not the first time the Bench has criticised police functioning. In earlier hearings, Justice Nagaprasanna had also remarked that police sometimes appear more focused on cases involving live-in relationships than serious crimes.
Those comments were made during proceedings related to a separate petition involving Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh.
