The Karnataka Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2025

KARNATAKA ACT NO. 18 OF 2026

THE KARNATAKA SOCIAL BOYCOTT (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT, 2025

(1) This Act may be called the Karnataka Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2025.

1. (2) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint.

1. (a) “Caste Panchayat” means a Committee or a body formed by a group of persons belonging to any community, whether registered or not, whether formal or informal, which functions within the community to regulate various practices in the same community, controls personal and social behavior of any member and collectively resolves or decides any disputes amongst its members including their families, by issuing oral or written dictums, whether called as a “panchayat” or by any other name or description;
2. (b) “Community” in relation to a Caste Panchayat means a group, the members of which are connected together by reason of the fact that by birth, conversion or the performance of any religious rites or ceremonies, they belong to the same religion or religious creed, caste or sub- caste;
3. (c) “Social Boycott” means the gesture or an act, whether oral or written, of any social discrimination between the members of the community specified in section 3;
4. (d) “Government” means the Government of Karnataka;
5. (e) “Human rights” shall have the same meaning as assigned

to it in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the

Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (Central Act 10 of 1994);

1. (f) “Member” means a person who is a member of any community;
2. (g) “Prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
3. (h) “Social Boycott Prohibition Officer” means an officer designated as such under section 15; and
   • (i) “Victim” means an individual who has suffered or experienced physical or monetary harm or harm to his property as a result of the commission of social boycott and includes his relatives, legal guardian and legal heirs.

1. (2) Words and expressions used but not defined in this Act but defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 45 of 2023), the Bharatiya

Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (Central Act 47 of 2023), the Bharatiya Nagarik

Social boycott.- Any member who commits any of the following act shall be deemed to have imposed social boycott on another member of his community, if as per the decision of caste panchayath, he-

1. (i) refuses to deal with, work for hire or do business with other person or;
2. (ii) denies opportunities including access to services or contractual opportunities for rendering service for consideration or;
3. (iii) refuses to do anything on the terms on which things would be commonly done in the ordinary course of business or;
4. (iv) abstains from the professional or business relations that one would maintain with other person or;
5. (v) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstructs any member of his community from observing any social or religious custom or usage or ceremony or from taking part in a social, religious or community functions, congregation, assembly, meeting or procession;
6. (vi) refuses or denies or causes to refuse or deny any member of his community the right to perform marriage, funeral or other religious ceremonies and rites which the members of his own community usually and ordinarily perform;
7. (vii) commits or causes to commit social ostracism on any grounds;
8. (viii) shuns or refuses any member of his community from engaging in the society or cut-off social or commercial ties with such member resulting in making the life of such member miserable;
9. (ix) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any member of his community from having access to or from using any place used or intended to be used for a charitable, religious or public purpose which is established or maintained wholly or partly by his own community for and on behalf of the community out of the funds of such community and is normally available for use to or by any other member of his own community;
10. (x) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any member of his community from having access to or using the facilities of any school, educational institution, medical institution, community hall, club hall, cemetery, burial ground or any other place used by, or intended to be used by, or for the benefit of, his community; or any other public place;
11. (xi) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any member of his community from enjoying any benefit under a charitable trust created for the benefit of his community;
12. (xii) incites or provokes or encourages any member of his community, directly or indirectly, to sever social, religious, professional or business relations with any other member or members of his community;
13. (xiii) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any member of his community from entering, lodging in or otherwise using any place of worship or pilgrimage, which is ordinarily open to the members of his community;
14. (xiv) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any member of his community from establishing or maintaining such social, professional or business relations as he would ordinarily establish or maintain with other members of his community;
15. (xv) prevents or obstructs or causes to prevent or obstruct any children of his community from playing together with the children of specific family or families in the community;
16. (xvi) obstructs or denies or causes to obstruct or deny any member of his community from enjoying human rights;
17. (xvii) discriminates or causes to discriminate amongst the members of the community on the basis of morality, social acceptance, political inclination, sexuality or any other basis; (xviii) creates or causes to create cultural obstacle or compel any member of his community to wear any particular type of clothes or use any specific language;
18. (xix) expels or causes to expel any member of his community from the said community ; and
19. (xx) commits any other similar acts which amount to and social boycott.

The social boycott is hereby prohibited and its commission and practice shall be an offence.

Any person who imposes or causes to impose or practices any social boycott on any member of his community, shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment of either description, which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both. Explanation I.— A person who uses or causes to use his power to influence other members of the Caste Panchayat which in its meeting has voted for imposition of social boycott, though not present in such meeting shall be deemed to have committed the offence under this section. Explanation II.— Where at the meeeting of the caste panchayat, the resolution to impose social boycott has been passed, every member who has voted in favour of such decision or has participated in the deliberations of the meeting, when such resolution was moved, shall be deemed to have committed the offence under this section.

No person or group of persons shall gather, assemble or congregate at any time and at any place with the view or intention to deliberate on issue of imposing social boycott on any member of the community; such gathering or assembly or congregation shall be treated as an unlawful assembly and every person convening and organizing such assembly and every member thereof participating therein shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.

Every person who aids or abets the commission of an offence under section 4 shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.

(1) Any action of social boycott, on the date of commencement of this Act shall, with effect from the date of such commencement, be void and be of no effect. (2) Any caste Panchayat, which imposes or causes to impose social boycott shall be deemed to have committed an offence under section 4 and shall be liable to be punished under section 5.

1. (2) Any caste Panchayat, which imposes or causes to impose social boycott shall be deemed to have committed an offence under section 4 and shall be liable to be punished under section 5.

Court shall, hear the victim on the quantum of sentence and then only pass the sentence.

Any offence punishable under this Act shall be cognizable and bailable and triable by a Judicial

Compounding of offence.- The offence punishable under this Act may, with the consent of the victim and with the permission of the court, be compounded: Provided that, the Court shall, by an order, grant permission for compounding of offence subject to the condition of performance of such community services to be rendered by the accused person, as the court may think fit.

(1) The victim or any member of his family may file a complaint either to the police or directly to the Judicial Magistrate of the first class or a police officer not below the rank of Inspector may initiate suo-moto action upon receipt of information regarding the offence under this Act in the manner as may be prescribed. (2) The Magistrate before whom the complaint is filed under sub-section (1) may direct the police to conduct the investigation. (3) The Magistrate may also direct the police and other concerned authorities to provide the victim and his family, any kind of assistance or help that he thinks necessary till the conclusion of trial.

1. (2) The Magistrate before whom the complaint is filed under sub-section
2. (1) may direct the police to conduct the investigation.
3. (3) The Magistrate may also direct the police and other concerned authorities to provide the victim and his family, any kind of assistance or help that he thinks necessary till the conclusion of trial.

Upon receiving the information of the offence of social boycott under this Act a police officer may,- (a) remove or cause to be removed, any barricade or obstruction erected or placed in any place if such police officer has reasonable ground to believe that the barricade or obstruction was so erected or placed in order to be used for the purpose of committing an offence under this Act ;or (b) open or cause to be opened any gate or door, if such police officer has reasonable ground to believe that such gate or door has been closed for the purpose of committing an offence under this Act.

1. (a) remove or cause to be removed, any barricade or obstruction erected or placed in any place if such police officer has reasonable ground to believe that the barricade or obstruction was so erected or placed in order to be used

for the purpose of committing an offence under this Act

;or

1. (b) open or cause to be opened any gate or door, if such police officer has reasonable ground to believe that such gate or door has been closed for the purpose of committing an offence under this Act.

(1) Where the Deputy Commissioner receives information that there is likelihood of convening of unlawful assembly for imposition of social boycott, he shall, by order, prohibit the convening of any such unlawful assembly and doing of any such act towards the commission of any offence under this Act by any person in any areas as may be specified in the order.

1. (2) The Deputy Commissioner may take such steps as he thinks necessary to give effect to such order, including giving of appropriate directions to the police authorities.

The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, designate any officer not below the rank of Group ‘A’ Officer of the Government, as the social boycott prohibition Officer as it may consider necessary and may also notify the area or areas within which he shall exercise the powers and perform the duties as may be prescribed.

Prohibition Officer shall perform the following functions, namely:-

1. (a) to detect the commission of offence under the provisions of this Act by any person in the area of his jurisdiction, by taking such action as he deems fit and to report such cases to the Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner;
2. (b) to assist the Magistrate while he is trying the offences and its proceedings under this Act.

When a sentence of fine is imposed, the a Court may, when passing judgment, order the whole or any part of the fine recovered to be given to the victim and his family, as the compensation.

The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time being in force.

While framing charges for the offences under this Act, the Magistrate may also frame charges under sections 3(5), 61 (1), 61(2), 190,196,308(1) to (6) and 62 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 45 of 2023), or any other provision of that Sanhita, if the fact discloses the commission of an offence under those provisions.

(1) The State Government may, after previous publication make rules to carry out the purposes of this Act.

1. (2) Every rule or notification made under this Act shall be laid as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions and if before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or notification or both Houses agree that the rule or notification should not be made, the rule or notification shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect as the case may be; so, however, that any such

modification or annulment shall be without, prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule or notification.

(1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the State Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, make such provisions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, which appears to it to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of removing the difficulty: Provided that, no such order shall be made under this section after the expiry of a period of two years from the commencement of this Act. (2) Every order made under sub-section (1) shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature. The above translation of ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಬಹಿಷ್ಕಾ ರ (ಪ್ರ ತಿಬಂಧ, ನಿಷೇಧ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಿಹಾರ) ಅಧಿನಿಯಮ, 2025 (2026 ರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಅಧಿನಿಯಮ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ: 18) be published in the official Gazette under clause (3) of Article 348 of the Constitution of India. THAAWARCHAND GEHLOT GOVERNOR OF KARANATAKA By Order and in the name of the Governor of Karnataka, G. SRIDHAR Secretary to Government Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation

1. (2) Every order made under sub-section (1) shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature.

published in the official Gazette under clause (3) of Article 348 of the Constitution of India.

THAAWARCHAND GEHLOT GOVERNOR OF KARANATAKA

By Order and in the name of the Governor of Karnataka,

G. SRIDHAR Secretary to Government Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation