Delhi Police has registered an FIR on a complaint filed by Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa. She has alleged that some morphed pictures and obscene articles against her have been posted on websites and widely circulated on the social media via WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube, etc.
The cyber unit (Economic Offences Wing) of Delhi Police has filed an FIR under Sections of 469, 507 and 509 IPC and IT Act and investigations have been taken up.
The 15 people, whom Pushpa claimed to be behind the crime include Gokula Indira, former TN Minister; Inbadurai, MlA from Radhapuram; Pushpa's former PA Balamurugan; Anantharaj, former Chairman Sathankulam panchayat, his wife Kavitha; Chinnadurai, former District Panchayat vice- president, Tuticorin; Priyanka; Jayaram (Velacher, Chennai), Ramu; Kannan and five others.
Pushpa, who was expelled from AIADMK on August 1, 2016, said in her plea filed in Delhi High Court that the issue arose after she informed the Parliament that she had been slapped by an AIADMK leader in Chennai and was facing death threats.
She also said that a false complaint was filed against her and her family for allegedly ill-treating and sexually abusing two domestic helps in 2011.
Her counsel said she was protected from arrest in the case by the Supreme Court, which has asked her to join the probe.
The plea filed through advocate D Abhinav Rao stated that on September 19, 2016 Pushpa received a phone call, with the caller saying he would upload a few photographs and videos on YouTube and cause physical and mental harm to her.
"The person ordered her to resign from her constitutional post or else he would start spreading false rumours and allegations against plaintiff, including false statements regarding her moral character. Further, he will also upload lot of pictures on social media," the plea said.
It said these acts violate her fundamental rights under the Constitution. "Such conduct has been actuated by malice against the plaintiff. The above said acts tantamount to blatant scandal-mongering and are per se defamatory as they seek to denigrate both the plaintiff and harm her impeccable reputation in the public estimation," the plea added.
The court, hearing the plea passed order (Dated October 4, 2016) to social media platforms to pull down her photos immediately.
, observing that "such alleged material is likely to cause irreversible grave and irreparable prejudice to the fair name and reputation of the plaintiff".
"While issuing notice to the defendants, (Facebook India, Google, YouTube India and Twitter India) injunction is granted in favour of the plaintiff.
"The defendants are restrained from publishing, broadcasting, distributing or disseminating in any form or manner whatsoever any defamatory material including the purported photograph...referred in this plaint, relating to or arising from, in connection with any alleged acts or behavior relatable to the plaintiff," the court said, making it clear that the defendants were obliged to take steps to remove such photographs.