Delhi HC grants bail to man accused of sharing objectionable pictures of live-in partner

PTI

New Delhi, May 7

The Delhi High Court has granted bail to a 30-year-old man accused of sharing on social media certain objectionable pictures of a woman he was in a live-in relationship with.

Justice Talwant Singh noted that two months had passed since the surrender of the accused—a first time offender—and charge sheet also filed, adding the instant case would take a long time to reach its final conclusion in view of the pendency before the trial courts.

“Keeping all the above facts and circumstances in view and especially that the accused/applicant is the first time offender, he is a young man of 30 years, the petitioner and the complainant were in live-in relationship for a long time and the only non-bailable section invoked against him is Section 67(A) of IT Act... and the fact that more than two months have passed since the date when the accused/applicant had surrendered and the charge sheet has been already filed, I am inclined to grant regular bail,” said the court in its order passed on May 5.

“Keeping in view the pendency of the large number of cases in the trial courts, the present case will take a long time to reach its final conclusion,” it added.

The court ordered that the accused be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with surety of the like amount while directing him to not contact or try to contact the victim with a view to threaten or intimidate her and also not circulate any defamatory or objectionable material against her on any platform during the pendency of the trial.

The accused was accused of having committed offences under section 354D (stalking) of IPC and section 66E (Punishment for violation of privacy) and section 67A (Punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act).

While seeking bail, the accused said that he and the complainant have known each other since March 2019 as both of them were gamers and they had met on a virtual gaming platform and were in a live-in relationship.

He further submitted that the only allegation against him was that he posted on Instagram four-five pictures of him kissing the complainant on her cheek.

The prosecution opposed the bail application on the ground that the investigation was still pending and the accused’s conduct made the complainant feel unsafe.

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