Karnataka High Court ruling quashes FIR over wall slogans in Mangaluru, holding that criticism of judicial verdicts does not amount to promoting enmity. Judicial intervention highlights systemic issues in state prosecutorial machinery. The Karnataka High Court’s decision to quash an FIR against 13 people accused of painting slogans on a wall in Mangaluru is a welcome defence of free expression and a reminder of how casually the State invokes serious criminal.