Rowdy sheets on the decline in Karnataka

The number of rowdy sheets in Karnataka has seen a drastic decline by about 10,000 since 2023, dropping from 47,054 in 2023 to 37,243 in 2026. Even year-on-year the decline is consistent in the State and the number of rowdy sheets closed outnumber the new ones opened, by a big margin during this period. 

A rowdy sheet is a file opened at a police station against a person involved in criminal activities or creating fear among people in the area. The police keep track of their activities and rowdy sheeters have to regularly report themselves to the police station, participate in rowdy parades etc. A rowdy sheet essentially becomes a surveillance mechanism for the police. 

R. Hitendra, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Karnataka, told The Hindu that it was “a conscious decision to weed out unnecessary people from the list of rowdy sheeters as their presence was making it difficult to focus on actual troublemakers.” “We are still not happy with the list we have today. More people can be dropped and in many cases, there is a delay in opening rowdy sheets against those who need to be on the list,” he said, adding it was a continuous process and it was under way. 

The data was presented in the recently concluded Karnataka legislature’s monsoon session.

Review of rowdy sheets 

Every year in January, Deputy Superintendents of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police have to review rowdy sheets in their jurisdiction and renew those that need to continue. The rest lapse. “However, our officials mechanically renew all the rowdy sheets in their jurisdiction, keeping a lot of unnecessary people under surveillance. There is also a lot of corruption in closing of rowdy sheets,” Mr. Hitendra said, adding that for the past three years, they were streamlining the process and closing rowdy sheets as per a strict set of criteria. 

Criteria for closure 

A rowdy sheet needs to be closed when the rowdy sheeter is dead, old, ill, is not involved in any criminal case for 10 years, or is acquitted in the criminal cases based on which the rowdy sheet was opened in the first place, apart from court orders. Once a rowdy sheet is closed, the file can be kept dormant and reopened if the person is again involved in any criminal case. 

Bengaluru bucks the trend 

However, Bengaluru bucks this trend. After a big decline from 2023 to 2024, the number of rowdy sheets has again seen a steady rise in Bengaluru city. The year 2024 saw the biggest decline with 1,152 rowdy sheets being closed and only 224 new records being opened. However, in 2025 and 2026, the number of those closed is less than those opened. 

A senior city police official said that Bengaluru city was a different case and rowdy activity was the highest here as it is directly linked to the economic activity of a place and more surveillance was required. For instance, in June 2026, the Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority (KSPCA) ordered closure of rowdy sheets against 66 persons, including alleged underworld operatives like ‘Silent’ Sunil for procedural lapses and several other factors. The Bengaluru city police is now looking at legal options to reinstate these rowdy sheets again. 

However, another official said that even in the city, the list of rowdy sheets can definitely be trimmed.