After hearing the arguments of the accused and the prosecution for two days, Metropolitan Magistrate Komalsing Rajput reserved the bail pleas for orders today.
The case was triggered by an app called ‘Bulli Bai’, which appeared on open-source platform GitHub, putting out details of more than 100 Muslim women, allowing users to participate in an ‘auction’ of those women.
Complaints were filed by women who had been targeted by the app, after which the Cyber Cell of the Mumbai Police registered an FIR on January 1 against relevant Twitter handles and the developer of Bulli Bai for offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
The three accused – Bangalore student Vishal Jha and Uttarakhand residents Shweta Singh and Mayank Rawat – pointed out in their petitions that they had been falsely implicated in the case as they had not committed any offence.
They also claimed that they had not created any mobile applications, nor were they connected to the other accused in the case.
It was contended that they had submitted all electronic devices for the investigation, were co-operating with the probe and were in no position to tamper with the evidence.
It was also pointed put that two accused, Jha and Rawat had tested COVID positive and were presently in Kalina quarantine centre.
Source: Barandbench
