A court in New Delhi granted bail to the creator of the controversial 'Sulli Deals' app, Aumkareshwar Thakur, as well as the 'Bulli Bai' case accused Niraj Bishnoi.
Citing its reasons for granting bail, the court said that the accused persons were first-time offenders. It also added that continued imprisonment would take a toll on their well-being, LiveLaw reported.
Meanwhile, KPS Malhotra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi, said that the primary reason for granting bail to the accused persons was that results from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were yet to arrive.
"The trial court had relied upon the evidence against the accused persons and no shortcoming in the investigation was pointed out," Malhotra added.
What Did the Court Say?
Patiala House Court's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma granted bail to Thakur and held that the probe in the matter was complete, and a charge sheet was filed earlier in March.
"Merely because replies from different intermediaries and FSL is awaited, same is not sufficient reason to deny bail to the accused as accused is not position to influence FSL result or replies," he reportedly added.
Arguing against prolonged incarceration of the accused, the court order added,
"Accused is a first time offender and a young person as such prolonged incarceration would be detrimental to his overall well being. Accused has roots in the society community and he is not a flight risk. The trial would take considerable time to save as such no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him detained any further."Delhi court, as per LiveLaw
Conditions for Bail
The court, however, said that it was imposing strict restrictions on the accused to ensure that they do not tamper with evidence or threaten witnesses.
The accused were ordered to not contact or influence any witness in the case. They were also told to keep their mobile phones switched on at all times and provide their current location if asked by the Investigation Officer (IO).
The court also said that the accused persons were not allowed to leave the country, and would have to appear whenever the court orders them to do so.
The Delhi Police had confirmed the arrest of Bulli Bai app creator Bishnoi from Assam on 6 January this year. Photos of hundreds of Muslim women were misused on the app, which became public on 1 January.
Thakur, on the other hand, was arrested on 9 January in Indore for creating the Sulli Deals app on Github. In July 2021, photos of several Muslim women were uploaded on the app with the accompanying text: "deal of the day".
(With inputs from IANS and ANI.)
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