Karnataka High Court quashes BMTF probe against Sri Sri Ravishankar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday quashed investigation against spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar in a public land encroachment case registered by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF). Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the petition filed by Sri Sri Ravishankar.

The petitioner challenged the crime registered against him for offence under Section 192A of Karnataka Land Revenue Act. It was submitted that while the FIR was registered pursuant to the orders passed by a division bench of the high court in a PIL, the name of Ravishankar was shown as accused number-1 with a malafide intention.

The PIL had sought a direction for demolition of apartments constructed encroaching the government land in certain land at Kaggalipura village, Uttarahalli hobli, Bengaluru South taluk. Disposing the PIL on September 9, 2025, the high court had directed the state to act against the encroachers in accordance with law.

The petition stated that the state government had filed a memo in the PIL which did not mention the name of the petitioner. On September 19, 2025, the Police Inspector, BMTF, registered a suo motu FIR based on the report of the tahsildar, Bengaluru South taluk against the petitioner and four others for encroaching the government land, lake and Rajakaluve in survey numbers 160, 164/1, 164/2, 150, 137, 135 and 46 at Kaggalipura village.

The petition stated that Ravishankar does not own any piece of land in these survey numbers of Kaggalipura Village. In the entire first information report, except naming as accused number 1, there is no whisper of any allegation that the petitioner has encroached any of these lands nor there is an allegation that he is the owner of any of these lands, the petition
said.

In January 2026, the high court had stayed the investigation against the petitioner noting that prima facie there are no allegations against the petitioner and that without any allegations, the petitioner could not have been drawn into the web of crime.