In a significant legal development, the Karnataka High Court has issued a notice to the State government in response to a contempt plea. The plea alleges the State’s failure to comply with a court order mandating a ₹5 lakh compensation payment to a homestay owner from Kodagu, who was wrongfully arrested in a criminal case. This case is cited as Palecanda Ponnappa @ Vishal v. Shalini Rajnesh & Others.
The initial arrest took place on April 19 and involved allegations that the homestay owner neglected to report the rape of a United States tourist at his establishment. However, in a July ruling, the Karnataka High Court determined the arrest was unlawful, violating the fundamental rights of the homestay owner. Consequently, the court ordered the State to compensate the owner with ₹5 lakh and subsequently quashed the criminal charges against him.
The petitioner, Palecanda Ponnappa, also known as Vishal, has now filed a contempt petition with the High Court, asserting that the State has not adhered to the July directive to pay the requisite compensation. This matter was presented before a Division Bench comprising Justice Jayant Banerji and Justice K.B. Geetha, who issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department. The court has scheduled the next hearing for this case in three weeks.
Ponnappa’s petition highlights that the July 15 order, passed by a single judge Bench, required the State to disburse the compensation within four weeks from receiving the order. Ponnappa confirmed that a certified copy of the judgment was delivered to the State through the office of the Additional Special Public Prosecutor on July 15. Thus, the court-mandated deadline for the payment expired on August 12, 2026.
Despite sending a notice to the State authorities on July 27, urging compliance with the compensation directive, Ponnappa asserts that the payment remains outstanding and no justification has been offered for this delay.
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The legal representation for Ponnappa is provided by Advocate Angad Kamat, who continues to advocate for the enforcement of the court’s compensation order.
