Delhi court denies bail to man accused of stalking, defaming woman on Instagram

A Delhi court has denied bail to a man accused of stalking a woman and posting defamatory content about her on Instagram, saying the labels imputed could be deeply traumatic for the complainant and her family.

Additional Sessions Judge Twinkle Wadhwa was hearing a bail application filed by Charan Singh, who was accused in a case registered at Karawal Nagar Police Station.

In an order dated August 12, the court said, “Such stigmatised and defamatory labels can be very traumatizing for the complainant and for her family. Publicly defaming a complainant who has medical issues already cannot be taken leniently.”

According to the prosecution, the accused had allegedly been portraying on social media that he was married to the complainant and uploaded posts suggesting that she enticed boys and was involved in the sex trade.

The investigating officer told the court that photographs from the accused’s Instagram account had been placed on record and that he was trying to defame the woman by falsely claiming marriage with her.

The defence argued that the accused had been in custody since July 25, the charge sheet had already been filed and his Instagram account was private. It also claimed that he had married the complainant, a contention denied by the woman.

Dismissing the plea, the court noted allegations that the accused had repeatedly stalked the complainant and said that the Instagram posts appeared to portray her in a highly derogatory manner.

“Perusal of these posts alongwith section 164 Cr.P.C statement shows that the accused has no fear of law and order. It is alleged that the accused is defaming her by saying that he has married the complainant while no proof of the same is filed till date,” the judge said.

The court further observed that the material on record, including the complainant’s statement, suggested that the accused had “no fear of law and order.”

It also noted that no proof of the alleged marriage had been produced so far and that there were allegations of physical assault as well.

Holding that the overall conduct of the accused did not warrant relief, the court dismissed the bail application.