Karnataka High Court
Manjunath S/O Timmanna Hiremani vs The State Of Karnataka on 17 November, 2025
Author: M.Nagaprasanna
Bench: M.Nagaprasanna
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NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592
WP No. 101287 of 2025
HC-KAR
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, DHARWAD BENCH
DATED THIS THE 17TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2025
BEFORE
THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA
WRIT PETITION NO. 101287 OF 2025 (GM-POLICE)
BETWEEN:
MANJUNATH
S/O. TIMMANNA HIREMANI,
AGE: 32 YEARS, OCC: BUSINESS,
R/O: LAXMI SINGANAKERI,
MALAMADDI DHARWAD.
...PETITIONER
(BY SRI. GIRISH V. BHAT, ADVOCATE)
AND:
1. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA,
REP. BY ITS SECRETARY,
HOME DEP.T, VIDHANASOUDHA,
B.R. AMBEDKAR VEEDI,
BENGALURU - 560 001.
Digitally signed by
RAKESH S
HARIHAR 2. THE POLICE COMMISSIONER,
Location: High
Court of Karnataka,
HUBBALLI DHARWAD
Dharwad Bench, COMMISSIONARATE,
Dharwad
NAVANAGAR,
HUBBALLI - 580 025.
3. THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
DHARWAD - 580 001.
4. THE ASSISTANT
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
DHARWAD NORTH,
DHARWAD 580 001.
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NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592
WP No. 101287 of 2025
HC-KAR
5. THE POLICE INSPECTOR,
VIDYAGIRI POLICE STATION,
VIDYAGRI, DHARWAD 580 002,
REP. BY HCGP,
HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA
DHARWAD BENCH,
AT DHARWAD 580011
...RESPONDENTS
(BY SRI. T. HANUMAREDDY, AGA)
THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND
227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A
WRIT OR A DIRECTION OR AN APPROPRIATE ORDER IN THE
NATURE OF CERTIORARI, QUASHING THE OPENING OF ROWDY
SHEET AGAINST THE PETITIONER BY THE 5TH RESPONDENT IN
ROWDY SHEET REGISTER BEARING NO. ACP 1298/2016 DATED
11.06.2016 VIDE ANNEXURE-P. ISSUE A WRIT OR DIRECTION
OR AN APPROPRIATE ORDER IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS TO
REMOVE THE NAME OF THE PETITIONER FROM THEIR RECORDS
OF ROWDY SHEETS AND ETC.,
THIS WRIT PETITION, COMING ON FOR PRELIMINARY
HEARING, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER:
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NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592
WP No. 101287 of 2025
HC-KAR
ORAL ORDER
(PER: THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA)
1. The petitioner is before this Court seeking the following prayer:
A. Issue a writ or a direction or an appropriate order in the nature of Certiorari, quashing the opening of rowdy sheet against the petitioner by the 5th respondent in rowdy sheet register bearing no. ACP 1298/2016 dated 11.06.2016 vide Annexure-P. B. Issue a writ or direction or an appropriate order in the nature of Mandamus to remove the name of the Petitioner from their records of Rowdy Sheets.
C. Issue such other orders and grant such other reliefs deemed fit and proper, in the circumstances of the case, in the interest of justice and equity.
2. Heard the learned counsel Sri. Girish V. Bhat for the petitioner and the learned AGA Sri. T. Hanumareddy for the respondent-State.
3. The petitioner gets embroiled in a crime which leads to filing of a charge sheet by the jurisdictional police in CC No. 271 of 2015. The petitioner gets acquitted of the said allegations on 31.03.2016 and the same has become final. The petitioner then again gets embroiled in two other crimes in CC No.1470 of 2018 and CC No.2656 of 2018 which also end in acquittal after a -4- NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592 WP No. 101287 of 2025 HC-KAR full blown trial. In the light of the acquittal of the petitioner and no case pending against him, it transpires that the petitioner submits a representation seeking removal of his name from the list of rowdies which had been drawn only on account of the aforesaid proceedings pending before the 5th respondent police station. The same has been turned down and the turning down is what has driven the petitioner to this Court in the subject petition.
4. The learned AGA on verification of records would submit that the representation of the petitioner with regard to removal of his name from the list of rowdies maintained before respondent No.5 police station would be considered in accordance with law and appropriate orders would be passed if reasonable time would be granted.
5. It becomes apposite to the judgment rendered by the Co-ordinate Bench in the case B.S. Prakash v. State of Karnataka in Writ Petition No.4504/2021 and connected matter disposed on 22.04.2022 wherein the Co-ordinate Bench considers the parameters that is to be followed by the State for -5- NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592 WP No. 101287 of 2025 HC-KAR withdrawal and removal of the name of citizens in the list of rowdies as follows:
"GUIDELINES FOR ROWDY/HISTORY SHEETING:
i. Before entering the name of an individual to the Register of Rowdies, the jurisdictional police shall collect and collate the material information concerning him and frame the proposal for registration on that basis.
ii. A brief proposal notice shall be sent to the individual concerned in a sealed cover with an option to submit his representation within two weeks as to why his name should not be registered as a rowdy. However, there is no need to afford a personal hearing. In exceptional cases notice may be dispensed with for reasons to be recorded in the Register of Rowdies.
iii. In terms of Clause (5), Order 1059 of the Manual, the Superintendent of Police or the Sub - Divisional Police Officer shall not accord approval for entering the name of individual concerned to the Register of Rowdies without calling for records and objectively considering the same. He shall briefly record his reasons for according the approval and mark a copy thereof to the individual forthwith, with a mention that he may petition the Police Complaints Authority, against the same.
iv. The jurisdictional Police shall compulsorily once in two years, undertake a periodic review of entries in the Register of Rowdies suo motu, as provided under Clause (2), Order 1057 of the Manual. However, it is open to the aggrieved, to make a representation at any time after one year of registration, seeking deletion of name from the Rowdy Register on the basis of changed circumstances such as rectitude, good conduct, social/community service, etc. v. The representation for review shall be considered by the jurisdictional Police at the initial level within a period of 30 days, during which necessary inputs may be obtained through the available sources as to merits of the claim. The recommendation shall be sent to the jurisdictional Superintendent of Police or the Sub - Divisional Police -6- NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592 WP No. 101287 of 2025 HC-KAR Officer, within 15 days along with the representation & the material collected thereon. Such recommendation along with the result of consideration of the representation shall be communicated to the individual concerned within next 15 days.
vi. Any individual aggrieved by the rejection of his representation or continuation of his name in the Register may petition to the Police Complaints Authority ordinarily within 30 days. However, no personal hearing shall avail. The petition shall be disposed off by recording reasons within an outer limit of 60 days, after considering the material on record or the fresh inputs that may be requisitioned, by the authority.
vii. The entire process of Rowdy/History Sheeting from the stage of issuance of proposal notice as specified above, up to the issuance of the orders on the petition if any to the Police Complaints Authority, shall be done only in a sealed cover procedure and that nothing therein shall be disclosed nor made available to anyone, except to the aggrieved, nor any Right To Information (RTI) application shall be entertained in this regard.
viii. The violation of these guidelines shall constitute a major misconduct and an adverse entry on proof thereof shall be made by the Disciplinary Authority in the Service Register of the erring official after hearing him and a copy thereof shall be marked to the victim of Rowdy Register/History Sheet, without brooking any delay. ix. Whatever guidelines herein above laid down shall be applicable to the case of History Sheeters as well, mutatis mutandis and subject to the provisions of Karnataka Police Manual, 1965."
6. The respondent-State shall now bear in mind the observations made in the course of the said order and pass necessary orders in accordance with law, owing to the fact that -7- NC: 2025:KHC-D:15592 WP No. 101287 of 2025 HC-KAR the petitioner has been acquitted in all the cases and pass necessary orders thereon.
7. As a matter of form, in the light of the direction issued to consider the representation of the petitioner seeking removal of petitioner's name from the list of rowdies, the impugned endorsement stands quashed. Appropriate orders, bearing in mind the observations made in the course of this order, shall be passed by the respondent within 12 weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of the order, if not earlier.
Ordered accordingly.
Sd/-
(M.NAGAPRASANNA) JUDGE kmv CT-ASC