"Cat Named Daisy Has Driven Everyone Crazy": Karnataka High Court Quashes Case Against Man Booked For Wrongfully Holding Missing Feline

A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the petition filed by Taha Husain who was charged for offences punishable under Sections 504(Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506(Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509(Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC on the complaint made by one Nikitha Anjana Iyer.

The petitioner had moved the high court seeking quashing of proceedings in C.C.No.13477/2022, pending before the IV ACJ and JMFC, Anekal, Bengaluru.

While pronouncing the order today, the high court said, “Petition is allowed and the proceedings stand quashed.”

Following which it orally said, “Cat named Daisy has driven everyone crazy.”

In its order, the high court after going through the complaint and the chargesheet filed by the police said, “If the contents of the complaint are seen, it shocks the conscience of the Court as to how the jurisdictional Police could have registered the complaint, as there is no offence indicated in the complaint, except missing cat and alleged wrongful custody of the cat in the house of the accused.”

It further observed that the allegations against the petitioner in the complaint and in the chargesheet when considered, then "not even a titter" of ingredient of offence under Section 504 or 506 of the IPC is found.

It thereafter said:

"Section 509 punishes one who seeks to outrage the modesty of a woman. Whether this provision would get attracted to the ingredients of the complaint is a mystery. All that the complainant narrates is about her cat named Daisy. The cat named Daisy appears to have driven every one crazy and even the criminal justice system. The Police ought not to have entertained the complaint, which did not indicate any cognizable offence at the outset. As a matter of fact, the complaint does not even indicate a non-cognizable offence. But, the Police entertain the complaint ostensibly, for extraneous reasons. Plethora of cases are filed before the Court complaining that the Police are not entertaining the complaint and seek a direction to register the complaint by issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus. But, here for a missing cat and no other offence or kidnapping of the cat, or no other cognizable offence, FIR is registered only to assuage the 16 feelings of the complainant who is said to have been distressed because the cat has leaped from one window to another". 

It said that if such frivolous grievances are allowed to blossom into a full fledged criminal trial, it would be nothing but wasting of precious judicial time and more gravely, diverting police resources from genuine grievances.

The court further underscored that if proceedings of this nature are permitted to continue, "it would be a travesty and putting a premium on the litigious persistence" of the complainant and reducing the criminal justice system to conduct a trial, "in a melodrama woven around a cat.”

Quashing the proceedings against the petitioner the court thereafter said, “This is a fit case for not only quashing the proceedings, but reserving liberty to the petitioner to initiate proceedings for malicious prosecution against the complainant.”

However as the complainant had chosen not to appear the court said, "In the light of the complainant not being represented herself or through an Advocate, this Court holds its hands in permitting the petitioner to initiate proceedings for malicious prosecution". 

Admonishing the police the court concluded by observing, "The Police too, deserve stern admonishing, for allowing themselves to be swept into whimsical pursuit of justice for a cat named Daisy. Cases of this nature should serve as a gentle, but firm reminder, to all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system that the law is a solemn instrument and not a toy to be played at the altar of personal pique".

The high court had in July 2024 stayed proceedings against the man.

It was alleged that a cat named Daisy, owned by the complainant, went missing as it jumped from wall to wall of the houses adjacent to it. The allegation was that the cat was in the house of the petitioner as could be seen from the CCTV footage.

The counsel for the petitioner had submitted that cats will get in and go out from the windows, and permitting further proceedings on such a frivolous complaint for the alleged offences would clog the criminal justice system.

During the earlier hearing, the bench had orally remarked that the police, instead of investigating serious/real crimes, were probing such offences after it was informed that the police had filed chargesheet against the accused after investigation.

Case Title: Taha Husain AND State of Karnataka & ANR

Case No: CRL.P 12290/2023

Citation No: 2025 LiveLaw (Kar) 201.

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