The Karnataka High Court has held that the police cannot orally summon rowdy sheeters who are not currently involved in any criminal activity or suspected of committing an offence, observing that such a practice violates personal liberty.

Justice R Nataraj passed the order on December 4 while hearing a petition filed by Sunil Kumar, a resident of Hebbal in Bengaluru, whose name figured in the police rowdy sheet.

Kumar told the court that he had reformed and was leading a peaceful life, with no criminal cases pending against him. Despite this, he alleged that police officials frequently summoned him orally, subjected him to abuse during enquiries, and detained him without justification.

His counsel argued that these actions created a constant fear of wrongful detention and infringed his

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