Karnataka HC judge refers to locality in Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’

A purported video clip of the judge making these remarks has been widely shared on social media. The judge’s remarks began with a discussion on the intricacies of certain provisions of the Rent Control Act, and then moved to matters such as the coverage of driver’s insurance.

Justice Srishananda observed that matters such as lane traffic had to be defined in the Motor Vehicles Act, observing that in foreign countries, different lanes had different speeds and limitations. Talking about a vehicle travelling at 40 km/hour in a lane with a speed limit of 100, he said, “Even in foreign countries, the police will come and tell you to shift to the last track…because otherwise, the fellow who is entitled to travel at 100 km per hour comes and bangs.”

Mentioning other traffic issues, he said, “Invariably, you go to any private school today, you will see scooters with more than three people. The principal, parents do not take any action. You have autos with 13, 14 students… Even after an incident where three small children died, there has been no action. Police is inactive.”

It was in this context that he said that “…towards the Mysore Road Flyover, every autorickshaw has got 10 people”, and that the “Mysore Road Flyover from the market to Goripalya is in Pakistan, not in India”.