Karnataka HC quashes FIR against Sanjay Patil in 'woman's modesty' case

Bengaluru, Oct 12 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against former BJP MLA Sanjay Patil over an alleged objectionable remark about Congress leader Laxmi Hebbalkar during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, ruling that the complaint failed to satisfy the legal requirements for prosecuting him for insulting a woman's modesty. The ruling centres on a crucial legal question: whether a person who claims to have heard an allegedly derogatory remark about another woman can maintain a criminal complaint under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which penalises words, gestures or acts intended to insult a…