As many as 2,019 cases have been registered in Karnataka since 2023 for spreading misinformation or communal hatred on social media, including 676 cases that were taken up suo moto by the police.
The numbers were revealed by state Home Minister G Parameshwar while responding to a question from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC KS Naveen in the Legislative Council on Thursday, March 13. He added the state has taken measures to curb the misuse of social media. The steps include the use of a fact-checker app, setting up monitoring desks in all police stations to track online content, and establishing social media monitoring cells in each station.
According to data provided by the Minister, the police registered 238 suo moto cases in 2023, while 373 cases were registered suo moto in 2024, and 65 cases so far in 2025. The number of cases filed on the basis of complaints received about social media posts are 640 in 2023, while 2024 saw 618 cases, and 85 in 2025.
The Home Minister also said that Karnataka has set up a dedicated vertical headed by a Director General of Police (DGP) to handle cybercrime, narcotics, and economic offenses — the first such unit in India. He added that the police are currently dealing with an average of 22,000 cases annually, with the number steadily rising.