'Daisy the cat drove everyone crazy': HC slams 'frivolous' kidnap case

Karnataka High Court quashes cat abduction case, slams police for chasing a 'whimsical pursuit' and warns against misusing criminal law to settle personal scores

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed a criminal case against a Bengaluru man accused of kidnapping his neighbour’s pet cat, while strongly criticising the police and complainant for wasting judicial resources over what it called a “whimsical pursuit” of justice.

 

Justice M Nagaprasanna, who presided over the case, quipped that the pet named Daisy had “driven everyone crazy”, and delivered a stinging rebuke to what he described as a misuse of criminal law.

 

The case originated on February 1, 2022, when Nikitha Anjana Iyer, a resident of Shikaripalya in Bengaluru district, filed a complaint claiming her neighbour Taha Husain had abducted her pet cat, Daisy, and was wrongfully confining it. Iyer described Daisy as being like “her child” and claimed emotional trauma. 

 

 

Charges dropped, CCTV evidence contradicts claim

 

The police registered an FIR and later filed a chargesheet, though charges under Sections 428 and 429 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) - which pertain to mischief against animals - were eventually dropped. Only charges related to intentional insult and criminal intimidation were retained.

 

Taha challenged the FIR, producing CCTV footage showing the cat moving freely between the two houses, even entering and exiting through open windows.

 

Justice Nagaprasanna noted discrepancies in the prosecution’s case, including additional allegations such as abuse and sexual misconduct that had not appeared in the original complaint.

 

“This is a symptomatic misuse of the criminal process, where hurt feelings or robust grievances masquerade as legal wrongs,” the judge observed. 

 

Police receive stern warning over 'melodrama'

 

The High Court order pulled up both the complainant and the police. “If such frivolous grievances are allowed to blossom into a full-fledged criminal trial, it would be nothing but a waste of precious judicial time,” it said, adding that such proceedings divert attention from genuine grievances.

 

The court likened the case to a “melodrama woven around a cat”, warning that permitting such cases undermines the criminal justice system.

 

In a pointed message to law enforcement, Justice Nagaprasanna said, “Police, too, deserve stern admonition for allowing themselves to be swept into a whimsical pursuit of justice for a cat. The law is a solemn instrument and not a toy to be played at the altar of personal pique.”

 

The court concluded by quashing the FIR and criminal proceedings against Taha, stating that the case was a classic example of personal animosity being dressed up as criminal litigation.