High Court Refuses to Quash FIR Against Advocate in Alleged Bribery Case

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash an FIR registered against a woman advocate accused of collecting money from the mother of a murder accused on the pretext of bribing a High Court judge to secure bail for her son.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while dismissing a petition filed by Mysuru-based advocate Dayina Banu, who had sought quashing of the FIR registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station. The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by the Registrar General of the High Court following directions issued by a Division Bench.

The court observed that an FIR is only the starting point of a criminal investigation and is not expected to contain every detail of the alleged offence. Referring to several Supreme Court judgments, the court held that halting an investigation at the preliminary stage would amount to an abuse of the legal process.

The bench further noted that allegations involving attempts to collect money in the name of influencing judges strike at the credibility and integrity of the judiciary. If such allegations are found to be true, they would seriously damage public confidence in the judicial institution. Therefore, a thorough investigation is essential and cannot be obstructed at the threshold, the court said.

According to the complaint, the mother of a murder accused approached intermediaries in 2021 to secure bail for her son. She was allegedly introduced to advocate Dayina Banu, who is accused of demanding a large sum of money, claiming it was required to influence a High Court judge. The alleged fraud came to light after the bail hearing did not proceed as expected and the complainant narrated the incident before the court.

Holding that the allegations involve institutional integrity and require a complete investigation, the High Court dismissed the petition and allowed the probe to continue.