Criminal Law Cannot be Applied to Inanimate Objects: Karnataka High Court Quashes Drone Trespass FIR

The Karnataka High Court quashed an FIR filed against a drone research company after one of its test drones accidentally landed on a neighbouring property due to a mechanical failure.

The police had registered the case for criminal trespass and endangering safety under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The Court held that criminal law requires mens rea (criminal intent), which cannot be attributed to an inanimate object like a drone. It noted that there was no allegation of intentional human entry, injury, or damage.

Calling the incident trivial, the Court ruled that a mechanical event cannot be converted into a criminal offence.

[NewSpace v. State of Karnataka]