The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday, December 18, unanimously passed the Karnataka Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2025, aimed at penalising caste and community-driven social exclusion and discrimination enforced through informal bodies such as caste or community panchayats.
The Bill, piloted by Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, prescribes imprisonment of up to three years, a fine that may extend to Rs 1 lakh, or both, for any person who imposes, causes, or practises a social boycott. With its passage, Karnataka is set to become the second State after Maharashtra to enact a law specifically targeting social boycott practices.
During the debate, Mahadevappa described it as historic and said its objective was to promote equality and prevent backward and marginalised groups from being pushed further to the margins through unconstitutional practices. Legislators from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) welcomed the passage of the Bill.
The law defines a social boycott as any act or gesture, oral or written, that results in social discrimination among members of a community. It lists 20 forms of exclusion, including denial of the right to work, hire services, conduct business, or participate in social and religious life on equal terms. It also covers interference in marriages or funeral rites, blocking access to essential services, and acts of social ostracism on any grounds.
Importantly, the Bill extends criminal liability beyond those who directly impose a boycott to include individuals who encourage, enforce, or use their influence to sustain it. Members of any body that votes in favour of a social boycott will also be deemed to have committed the offence. Assemblies convened to deliberate or plan the imposition of a boycott are declared unlawful, attracting fines of up to Rs 1 lakh.
The bill tabled in the Assembly only allowed victims or their family members to file complaints. But former law minister TB Jayachandra underscored the need to allow the police to act suo motu when instances of boycotts come to their attention.
Mahadevappa accepted the suggestion and the Assembly then passed the bill with an amendment giving the police the power to file complaints suo motu.
The legislation mandates that courts hear victims on the question of sentencing before passing orders and provides for the appointment of a social boycott prohibition officer to help identify violations and assist courts during proceedings.
Explaining the need for new legislation, the Bill notes that unconstitutional practices such as punishments imposed by extra-judicial bodies continue in several communities, causing harassment and denying individuals the right to live with dignity. Lawmakers argued that existing legal provisions have proved inadequate and that social boycotts weaken social cohesion while fostering disharmony.
Social boycott of various forms has been known to occur in Karnataka, even as economic boycotts of Muslim traders have been announced in certain places during religious festivals in recent years.