Gujarat High Court Quashes Religious-Offence Case Over Buddha Motif on Saree

The Gujarat High Court quashed criminal proceedings against a trader over a saree bearing an image of Lord Buddha on its lower portion or pallu.

Background

The prosecution alleged that placement of the religious image on the garment insulted religious feelings. The trader challenged the criminal case.

Legal issue

The Court considered whether the statutory ingredients of a religious-offence provision were met merely by the design and placement of an image on clothing.

Court’s approach

It rejected an automatic inference of deliberate insult or disturbance of public order from the saree design and held that the allegations did not justify continuation of the case.

What follows

The proceedings against the trader were quashed. The ruling turns on the alleged conduct and statutory ingredients, not an unrestricted permission to deliberately incite religious hostility.