A 19-year-old youth, accused of posting sexually explicit content against a woman on the internet, was granted bail by the Rajasthan High Court under a unique condition—no social media usage for three years!
Akash, a resident of Karauli and a second-year college student, was accused of intimidating a married woman by publishing sexually explicit material about her on social platforms. He is also accused of blackmailing her using such content.
In his bail application, Akash undertook that he would not repeat the offences and not use social media. It was also submitted that his custody was not required in the investigation.
The public prosecutor opposed the bail, arguing that the allegations against the accused-petitioner were grave in nature. The complainant’s counsel also opposed the bail application, saying his release would jeopardise the safety and well-being of the victim.
After hearing both sides, the bench of Justice Ashok Kumar Jain noted that the material on record clearly indicated that the petitioner used different mobile phones and Instagram IDs to commit the offence, and harm the respondent's reputation and image.
The court, however, decided to grant him bail, considering other factors like the age of the accused, no criminal antecedents, and the stage of the investigation. It also noted that the offence is triable by a magistrate first class and the statement of the victim had already been recorded.
The bench set the condition that the accused should not use any social media platform for three years, either in his name or any fictitious name. He was also barred from contacting the victim or her family member, directly or indirectly.
“In case of any violation of the above conditions, the bail granted to the applicant-accused shall be liable to be cancelled,” the court said.