The Karnataka High Court recently deemed pepper spray as a “dangerous weapon” while citing a recent US court ruling, and refused to halt investigations into a criminal case involving a director of C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons (CKC & Sons), C Ganesh Narayan, and his wife, Vidya Nataraj.
High Court of Karnataka, Bangalore, India (Shutterstock)
The case originates from an altercation on April 29, 2023, where the petitioners allegedly assaulted Randeep Das, a security guard at CKC & Sons showroom in Bengaluru, and laborers on their compound wall, The Times of India reported. Amid the confrontation, Vidya purportedly used pepper spray.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, referencing IPC section 324, emphasized that causing harm with any potentially lethal instrument constitutes an offense. Pepper spray, the court noted, fits this category, drawing from a 2018 US court case, People vs Sandez, the publication said.
Dismissing the petitioners' claim of self-defence, Justice Nagaprasanna concluded that Vidya couldn't have legitimately used pepper spray as there was no immediate threat to her life, the report added.
The High Court stressed the necessity for investigation, aligning with a Supreme Court directive advising against high courts delving into the merits of such allegations at the initial stage.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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