In a notable legal ruling, the Rajasthan High Court has granted bail to a man accused of sexually harassing and stalking a minor girl, while imposing a strict, comprehensive one-year ban on his use of all social media platforms.
The order, passed by a single-judge Bench of Justice Ashok Kumar Jain at the Jodhpur Bench, explicitly warns that any violation of this digital restriction will result in the immediate cancellation of his bail.
The Stringent Bail Conditions
To ensure the safety and psychological well-being of the minor victim, the High Court attached a series of tight conditions to the bail agreement:
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Total Social Media Blackout: The accused is strictly barred from using any social media platforms—including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Threads, and ShareChat—for a period of one year.
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No Fictional Aliases: The ban applies to accounts under his real name as well as any anonymous or fictitious profiles created using alternative phone numbers or email IDs.
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Zero Victim Contact: The court restrained the accused from making any direct or indirect contact with the victim or her family members through any medium, including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
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Financial Bonds: The petitioner must furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000 along with two local sureties of an equal amount.
Background of the Case
The legal proceedings stem from a criminal complaint filed earlier this year in Bikaner:
Arguments in Court
The defense counsel argued for release on the grounds that the investigation is entirely complete, the accused is no longer required for custodial interrogation, and a prolonged trial would keep him detained indefinitely without conviction. The defense also claimed the accusations lacked physical evidence beyond oral statements.
Conversely, the Public Prosecutor and the complainant’s counsel strongly opposed the bail plea, arguing that the persistent harassment had psychologically endangered the minor girl’s life and disrupted her normal living environment.
The Court’s Ruling
Justice Jain balanced the arguments by noting that since the investigation concluded and the accused had served a significant period in custody, holding him indefinitely before trial was unnecessary. However, considering the sensitive nature of cyber-related stalking, the court deemed the unconventional social media ban a necessary safeguard to protect the victim from further distress.
