Deep Friends Association Vs the State of Karnataka — Writ and Judicial Review | Karnataka HC (2026)

Deep Friends Association Vs the State of Karnataka — Writ and Judicial Review | Karnataka HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Writ petition disposed of with directions: respondents (police) not to interfere with the lawful recreational activities of the petitioners' clubs, subject to compliance conditions — CCTV installation within six weeks with 15-day footage available to police, member identity cards, no acts of amusement under Ss.2(14) & 2(15) or games of chance under Expl.(II) to sub-s.(7) of S.2, Karnataka Police Act 1963, no stakes except games of skill — while preserving police liberty to visit premises and act against unlawful activity.

Issue for consideration

Whether the jurisdictional police are justified in repeatedly visiting and interfering with the lawful indoor recreational activities (carom, chess, etc.) of the petitioners' registered recreation clubs, and whether a writ of mandamus should issue restraining such interference.

Court's answer

The petitioners shall install CC TV cameras within six weeks at all places of access to members and at all places where games are played.

Ratio / Principle

CC TV footage of at least the prior 15 days shall be made available to the police as and when called upon.

Key takeaways

The petitioners shall issue identity cards to all members, to be produced when called upon by the police during raids and surveillance.ratio¶52
The petitioners shall not permit acts of amusement falling within Sections 2(14) and 2(15) of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, nor games of chance under Explanation (II) to Sub-section (7) of Section 2; members shall not play games with stakes or derive profit or gain, except games of skill.ratio¶53

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Writ petition (Articles 226 & 227) by five registered recreation clubs/associations from Mangalore seeking a mandamus to restrain the Mangalore City police from interfering with their indoor recreational games (carom, chess, etc.). Following the Division Bench decision in D.V.R Recreation Club v. State of Karnataka, W.A.No.20090/2015, and this Court's earlier order in W.P.No.21010/2023, the Court (Sachin Shankar Magadum, J.) disposed of the petition with directions: (i) install CC TV cameras within six weeks at all points of member access and wherever games are played, and make at least the prior 15 days' footage available to police on demand; (ii) issue identity cards to all members, producible during raids and surveillance; (iii) not permit acts of amusement falling within Ss.2(14) & 2(15) of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, nor games of chance under Explanation (II) to Sub-section (7) of Section 2, and allow no games with stakes or profit except games of skill; (iv) maintain a proper mechanism against unlawful play, with liberty for police to act against violators in accordance with law; (v) police may visit the premises periodically or on information; (vi) respondents shall not interfere with lawful recreational activities; and (vii) the order does not bar police action if members indulge in unlawful or immoral activities.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU

DATED THIS THE 13^TH DAY OF MARCH, 2026

BEFORE

THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM

WRIT PETITION NO. 38687 OF 2025 (GM-POLICE)

BETWEEN:

DEEP FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

(A REGISTERED SOCIETY

UNDER KARNATAKA CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1959) NO.3-276/4, MAHARAJA COMPLEX, MAIDAN CROSS ROAD, MANGALORE - 570001 REPRESENTED BY ITS PRESIDENT PRAKASH CHANDRA RAI.

Digitally signed by CHAITHRA A Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA

NAVADURGA RECREATIONAL CLUB, (A REGISTERED SOCIETY UNDER KARNATAKA CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1959) NO.2-03, 1^ST FLOOR, BHAVANI COMPLEX, BAPPANADU MULKI TALUK, MANGALORE, D.K DISTRICT - 574154 REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT SAMPATH. A. KOTIAN

SRI DEVI RECREATION AND CULTURAL CLUB, (A REGISTERED SOCIETY UNDER KARNATAKA CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1959) NO.2-16-1385/2, ANUGRAHA COMMERCIAL COMPLEX, NEAR KSRTC BUS STAND, BIJAI, MANGALORE -575 004

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REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT KRISHNA PUJARI.

KAVOOR FRIENDS RECREATION CLUB, (A REGISTERED CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY UNDER KARNATAKA CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1959) NO.04-95/38, ANANTHA ARCADE, BASEMENT FLOOR, KAVOOR, MANGALORE, D.K.DISTRICT - 575015 REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT, RAMESH.

SKANDA RECREATION CLUB, (A REGISTERED CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY UNDER KARNATAKA CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1959) PALNEER, MANGALORE, D.K.DISTRICT - 575007 REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT SUJITHA RAI

…PETITIONERS

(BY SRI. BALAKRISHNA M R., ADVOCATE)

AND:

THE STATE OF KARNATAKA REP. BY ITS SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS, VIDHANA SOUDHA, AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU 560001

THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE MANGALORE CITY, MANGALORE, D.K. DISTRICT-575 001

THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MANGALORE DIVISION,

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MANGALORE D.K. DISTRICT - 575 001

…RESPONDENTS

(BY SRI. K.P. YOGANNA, AGA)

THIS WRIT PETITION FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT OF MANDAMUS DIRECTING THE RESPONDENT NO.2 /THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MANGALORE CITY NOT TO INTERFERE WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE PETITIONERS RECREATIONAL CLUBS AND PERMIT THEM TO OPERATE AND RUN THEIR RECREATIONAL CLUBS FORTHWITH.

THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER:

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM

ORAL ORDER

The petitioners – Registered Recreation Association and Club have approached this Court under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India seeking a writ of mandamus against respondents, restraining them from interfering with the lawful activities carried on by the Association and Club. It is specifically contended that the activities of the petitioners-Association and Club are

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confined to indoor recreational games such as Carom and Chess etc., conducted in the names and style of their respective association and clubs namely Deep Friends Association, Navadurga Recreational Club, Sri.Devi Recreation and Cultural Club, Kavoor Friends Recreation Club and Skanda Recreation Club and that no unlawful or prohibited activities are being conducted in the premises.

It is the case of the petitioners that the Association and Clubs are a duly registered Society under the provisions of the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960. The petitioners assert that the Association and Clubs have been established exclusively for recreational purposes and are functioning strictly in accordance with its bye-laws.

The grievance projected in the writ petition is that respondents – the jurisdictional Police Officers are repeatedly visiting the premises of the Association and Club without any justifiable cause and are interfering with

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the peaceful conduct of indoor recreational activities. It is alleged that such interference has not only disrupted the functioning of the Club but has also resulted in intimidation and threats to discontinue the activities of the Association and Club.

This Court in W.P.No.21010/2023, under similar circumstances, appropriate directions were issued by referring to the authoritative pronouncement of the Division Bench of this Court in D.V.R Recreation Club Vs State of Karnataka rendered in W.A.No.20090/2015 .

In the light of the principles laid down by the Hon’ble Division Bench and the consistent view taken by this Court in subsequent matters, the present writ petition is disposed of with the following directions:-

a. The petitioners shall install within a period of six weeks, CC TV cameras, at all the places of access to its members and also at all the places, wherein game/s is/are

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played by the members. The CC TV footage of at least prior 15 days’ period shall be made available by the petitioners, to the police, as and when called upon to do so.

b. The petitioners shall issue identity card(s) to all its member(s), which shall be produced by the member(s), when called upon by the police, during the raid(s) and surveillance etc.

c. The petitioners shall not permit any activity by any of its member(s), by indulging in acts of amusement, falling within the definition of Sections.2(14) & 2(15) of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963 and shall not permit any game(s) of chance as per Explanation (II) of Subsection (7) of Section 2 of Karnataka Police Act, 1963. The member(s) shall not be allowed to play any kind of game(s) with stakes or make any profit or gain out of the game(s) played, except games of skills.

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d. The petitioners shall put proper mechanism in place and shall ensure that no game(s) is played in any unlawful manner by the member(s). If the police find that any of the game/s played is/are contrary to any law and in violation of the settled practice, it is open for them to take action against petitioners and the offenders, in accordance with law.

e. The jurisdictional police shall have liberty to visit premises periodically and/or on receipt of any information about any unlawful activity being carried on in the petitioners' premises.

f. The respondents are directed not to interfere with the lawful recreational activities carried on by the members of the petitioners – Club/Association.

g. It is made clear that this order would not come in the way of the jurisdictional police invoking the provisions of the Act and taking action in accordance with law, if the member(s) of the petitioners are

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found to have indulged in any unlawful or immoral activities.

Ordered accordingly.

Sd/- (SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM) JUDGE

NBM List No.: 2 Sl No.: 65