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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday reproached model-celebrity Rakhi Sawant for publishing explicit videos of another model who later filed a defamation and outraging of modesty case against Sawant.
Single-judge Justice Anuja Prabhudessai questioned Sawant’s conduct and asked her to maintain some “ethical standards” against another woman.
“Why should you indulge in such acts like showing obscene videos in media? That too involving another woman. Some ethical standards, some standards have to be maintained,” the Court remarked.
Justice Prabhudessai was hearing a plea by Sawant seeking anticipatory bail.
Sawant stands accused of offences under Sections 354(A) (outraging modesty of a woman), 500 (defamation), 504 (criminal intimidation), 509 (intent of provoking breach) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 67(A) of the Information and Technology Act (IT Act).
The FIR against Sawant was registered based on a complaint by a model who alleged that on October 31 last year, Sawant had shown some sexually explicitly videos of the complainant at a press conference and also made defamatory statements.
After the Mumbai Sessions Court at Dindoshi rejected her anticipatory bail application, Sawant moved the High Court contending that apart from Section 67(A) of the IT Act, all other provision invoked against her are bailable.
The Court asked the complainant’s lawyer on Friday how Section 67(A) of the IT was applicable in the present case.
“She showed the video but will that amount to transmitting or forwarded? How did it cause to be transmitted? Did she forward the video to the media persons? Did she say publish it? Otherwise also the punishment under this section is only of five years and she has already handed over the phone. What more can be done? How will police investigate defamation? The FIR does not say so that the media has circulated all this. The FIR says that the video is already available. It was on YouTube,” the judge enquired.
The complainant’s lawyer told the Court that the video Sawant showed at press conference was later uploaded on YouTube at the behest of Sawant.
At this juncture, the Court asked Mumbai Police to take steps to ensure that the video, if available on YouTube, is taken down immediately.
“Whatever is the video in the media, where this obscene video is displayed, that video needs to be deleted. Not only the interview, but also the obscene video which was shown in the conference, that needs to be deleted” the Court said.
