When the GitHub platform saw the creation of the “Bulli Bai” app, the notorious case of Niraj Dashrath Bishnoi vs. The State of Maharashtra began to garner media attention. Similar to this, in July 2020, the website and app “Sulli Deals” was developed with profiles of over 80 Muslim women. These accounts featured images that the ladies shared on social media and were referred to as “deals of the day.” The goal in both instances was to disparage and degrade Muslim women by disseminating their private photos, even though there was no real sale of any sort. The use of technology to spread extremist beliefs and increase gender-based violence is covered in this article. Furthermore, it tackles the serious crimes committed against Muslim women, which fuel radicalization and related issues.
In layman’s terms, “Bulli” is a pejorative slang name for Muslim women. Following a journalist saw that her photo had been uploaded to the app without her permission, the issue went viral. The image’s text included hashtags like #Bullideals #sullideals #BulliBai along with phrases like “Your bulli bai of the day.” Notable Muslim women, like social activist Hiba Beg and journalist Fatima Khan of The Quint, were also singled out by uploading their images on the app and ostensibly setting up a fictitious auction to sell them. When these images began to appear on various social media sites in January 2022, the victims filed a formal complaint with the Delhi as well as Mumbai police stations. According to the FIR, the informant came into a Sikh-run app that was purportedly created to hire Muslim women as maids because of Islamophobic sentiments. One account’s bio had this information, while another account had a photo of the reporter with a caption implying that she would be able to work as an escort maid. The matter ultimately made its way to the Delhi and Mumbai Additional Session Courts, respectively.
The prime suspect in the Bulli Bai case, Shweta Singh, an 18-year-old lady from Uttarakhand, was arrested by the police on January 4, 2022. She was accused of managing the Twitter accounts and posting pictures and posts. following being questioned for ten hours following her detention, Vishal Jha, age 21, was also taken into custody in Bangalore. On January 5, 2022, a Mumbai Cyber Police unit arrested another suspect, 21-year-old Mayank Rawal, who was the son of an army soldier stationed in Paurhi Garhwal, Uttarakhand. On January 7, 2022, the Delhi Police Special Forces’ IFSO squad captured Neeraj Bishnoi, the Bulli Bai app’s primary account holder and alleged mastermind. He was also in charge of developing the app on GitHub and had control of the primary Twitter account used with it. Moreover, another person was arrested in Odisha in connection with the case. So there are five arrests in all.
The accused requested bail, nevertheless, the magistrate court denied their request, ruling that the accused’s freedom might be restricted for the greater good of society because the three of them had committed significant actions of “defaming womanhood.” The five defendants were charged with the following offenses following the pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
- Section 153A- encouraging animosity among various communities on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., as well as performing serves prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
- Section 153B: Assertions and Imputations Harmful to National Integration
- Section 354A: Sexual harassment and the penalties for it
- Section 509: Expressions, gestures, or actions meant to belittle a woman’s modesty
Based on the Information Technology Act, 2000:
- Section 66D: Penalties for Personation Cheating Using Computer Resources
- Section 67: Penalties for disseminating or posting pornographic content online
In the Sessions Court, the accused once more requested bail. After carefully weighing the arguments on both sides, the Additional Session Judge granted bail to three accused persons: Aumkareshwar Thakur, Neeraj Bishnoi, and Neeraj Singh, provided they fulfilled a 50,000 personal bond and one or two sureties of equal value. They need to go to the Cyber Police Station once a month and are not allowed to leave the country without a court’s permission as part of their bail requirements. Three other involved parties, Shweta Singh, Mayank Rawat, and Vishal Jha, were previously been granted bail by the court.
It was terrible to witness such young people in the nation using internet applications to incite animosity among various communities. Because of this, online became deadly, particularly for women. In addition to encouraging gender-based violence, the creation of the Bulli Bai app, which made it easier to create and share disparaging content directed at women, also fostered an atmosphere of harassment and intimidation in online spaces. This inappropriate use of technology highlights the urgent need for a more thorough ethical and technological assessment of digital platforms in addition to the creation of strong legal frameworks to effectively combat cyberbullying.
This case demonstrates how inadequate the current legal framework and legislation are to combat cyberbullying and internet harassment. Although there are laws that penalize stalking, implementation is frequently hampered by obstacles including jurisdictional problems and the anonymity provided by digital platforms. To discover practical answers, governments, public society, and technology stakeholders must work together, which highlights the basic question of whether tech corporations should contribute to stopping the abuse of their services. It acts as a reminder to everyone to put people’s safety and well-being first in digital places while attempting to create a more welcoming and encouraging online community.
Original Judgment Link –
This blog was authored by Aditi Srivastava, Team Member at Lets Learn Law. She can be reached out at aditi@letslearnlaw.com.
