A mosque in Kariyangala village has had its loudspeaker authorization reinstated by the Karnataka High Court after a judge found that police revoked the facility’s licence without issuing prior notice or providing a hearing.
In an order issued on August 31, Justice Suraj Govindaraj ruled that the revocation issued on August 13, 2025, by the deputy superintendent of police for the Bantwal sub-division must instead be treated as a show-cause notice. Because the cancellation order was read down by the bench, the institution’s permit to use public address systems for religious functions and daily prayers remains in effect.
Natural Justice Binding On Regulatory Bodies
Addressing the administrative procedure, Justice Govindaraj stated that public authorities cannot pass punitive orders simply because they possess statutory jurisdiction, reiterating that statutory bodies are required to comply with all procedural mandates.
The court rejected the state government’s argument that the revocation was warranted by an existing dispute, which stemmed from a July 31, 2025, notice issued by the Kariyangala village panchayat alleging the mosque premises lacked an approved building plan. The bench observed that the panchayat, not the police, had issued that notice. Because the police department serves as the statutory licensing authority for sound equipment, the court determined that the police were legally obligated to issue their own notice and grant the applicant a fair hearing before withdrawing the permit.
Under the High Court’s directions, the petitioner must submit a formal response to the newly classified show-cause notice by September 10, after which the Bantwal deputy superintendent of police must consider the objections and decide the matter in accordance with law.
Origins Of The Dispute And Procedural Lapses
The petition was filed by Isak Punchame, president of the Islamic Education Center, a registered charitable trust managing the premises. Punchame submitted that the trust had secured police permission in July 2025 under Rule 5 of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, to operate sound systems within statutory volume limits for daily community worship and social events. The plea argued that terminating the licence without notice infringed on lawful religious and social activities.
The controversy originated from a private complaint lodged before a local magistrate by a village resident named Yogesh, who alleged that five daily calls to prayer during Ramzan created a public nuisance. Acting on the complaint, the magistrate directed police to register a case under the Karnataka Police Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, culminating in a police chargesheet.
The High Court noted an inconsistency in the official timeline, highlighting that while the police chargesheet against Punchame was submitted in September 2025, the licensing authority had already issued the cancellation order a month earlier, in August 2025.
