‘Law Has Lost Its Teeth’: Karnataka HC Calls for Harsher Punishments While Rejecting Rape Accused’s Bail Plea

REFUSING TO GRANT BAIL to a 23-year-old accused of rape, the Karnataka High Court reiteared that crimes are on the rise because the law has “lost its teeth,” . The court further called for stricter and harsher punishments to deter crimes. These remarks come amidst hearing the bail plea on 31st May 2026 filed by the accused, an engineering student who allegedly raped his classmate back in 2023.

The accused, identified as Gopi Reddy Karthik Reddy, studying at the Manipal Institute of Technology, has been in judicial custody since April 2026. 

Hearing the matter, Justice R Nataraj, expressing his concerns over the rising number of crimes, remarked that people are “casually committing” crimes. He further remarked that offenders are not being dealt with firmly, and that they are taking advantage of the country “being a democracy.”

The court also says that the current legal and enforcement framework is not firm enough which also contributes to rising crimes being committed in the country. Justice Nataraj called for stricter and harsher punishments — akin to those doled out in Gulf countries such as cutting of limbs — to deter crimes. 

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‘Law Has Lost Its Teeth’: Justice Nataraj’s Remarks 

“People are committing crimes casually as well as in a routine manner, only because offenders are not dealt with firmly under the law…Law has lost its teeth because we don't deal with offenders firmly. That is why committing an offence has become so easy unlike in the Middle East,” Justice Nataraj orally remarked. 

He made a stark contrast to the strict laws that some West Asian countries have in place, remarking: “If you chop off a leg or a hand, perhaps only then people will realise to comply with law. Because we have a democracy, everybody takes it for granted.”

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Accused Claims Incarceration Is Affecting Future 

The accused’s defense argued that he had spent almost two months in prison despite not having committed any crime. The defence submitted that the allegations pertain to an incident that allegedly occurred in September 2023. It further argued that his continued incarceration would seriously harm the petitioner’s academic and professional future.

During the hearing, the judge also remarked, “If you eat salt, you have to drink water. Let him stay another four-five days. Let him get used to prison. Who knows, if you are punished, you may have to go back.”

The high court has declined the bail plea, and posted the matter for further hearing on June 8, 2026.

Police investigating into the rape case states that the accused lured the victim to his apartment under the false pretext of discussing their relationship, and then eventually raped her on September 12, 2023. The victim first approached the National Commission for Women with her complaint, before filing a police report.