Thane: The Thane Sessions Court, while hearing a bail application filed by a 24-year-old man arrested under the stringent provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA) for allegedly sexually harassing one of his friends and forcing her to send inappropriate photos via social networking sites, granted him bail.
In its order, the court observed that such offences are on the rise and deserve serious attention.
The court stated, “(Prima) facie, the parties were acquainted with each other. It is an offence that has taken place in the virtual world of social networking sites. However, the accused apparently even tried to approach her physically through the victim’s friend, and thus, the case has taken a serious turn. Such kinds of offences are on the rise in society, and the manner in which it has been committed also deserves serious attention. Asking for nude photographs of anybody seriously intrudes on the privacy of a person and may entail serious consequences, as has happened in this case.”
According to the prosecution, the accused was a friend of the victim. However, after befriending her for some time, he asked her to send some inappropriate pictures. The victim did send a few photos but refused to send obscene videos or further images. The accused then began threatening her, claiming he would share the photos and videos with her friends.
Troubled by the accused’s behavior, the victim filed a complaint. The accused, however, claimed that he was in a relationship with the 15-year-old victim and alleged that the victim’s mother had falsely implicated him in the case.
While granting him bail, the court noted that the charge sheet had already been filed and that the trial would take considerable time. Therefore, keeping the accused behind bars would not serve any further purpose. He was granted bail upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs 40,000.
