Allahabad High Court Denies Bail to Man Accused of Sharing Indecent Images, Cites Grave Impact of Digital Crimes
By Rajesh Pandey
The Allahabad High Court, while rejecting the bail application of a man accused of circulating private and indecent photographs of a woman on WhatsApp, underscored the serious societal harm posed by digital crimes.
The court observed that when such content is shared publicly on social media platforms, it has the potential to “destroy lives”, highlighting the darker side of emerging technologies.
“Digital technology is altering the face of crime. Indecent pictures of a person, when circulated on public platforms by social media, can destroy lives. This is the hard social reality,” noted Justice Ajay Bhanot, who presided over the matter.
The accused was arrested in January 2025 under provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
He was alleged to have circulated private images of the complainant through WhatsApp. After his bail plea was earlier rejected by a trial court in April, he approached the High Court seeking relief.
However, the High Court, after reviewing the materials on record, noted that certain objectionable images were recovered from the accused and that their forensic analysis was pending.
Given the nature of the accusations and the likelihood of the accused’s involvement, the court found no grounds to grant him bail.
At the same time, the bench expressed serious concern over the increasing misuse of digital platforms for committing offences that have devastating social consequences.
While denying bail, the court also stressed the need for a swift and effective judicial process.
To that end, the court issued specific directions:
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The district judge was instructed to submit weekly reports on the progress of the trial.
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The Deputy Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was directed to ensure the submission of the forensic report within two months.
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The trial court was advised to conclude the proceedings preferably within one year.