The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay the ongoing investigation in the multiple cases registered against Aumkareshwar Thakur, the alleged creator of the “Sulli Deals” Apps, which was used for the online auction of several Muslim women.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh issued notice to the Governments of Delhi, UP and Maharashtra and agreed to examine the writ petition filed by Thakur seeking the clubbing of the multiple FIRs.
During the hearing, the bench said that each aggrieved woman can file complaints separately.
“But that is not same offence. There are two websites. One is Sulli Deals and other is Bulli Bai. Can that be said to be conjoint? There are multiple uploads. Each person would have filed independently. Can it be called same offence? All of the FIRs are different as there has been multiple uploads” the bench said.
When the counsel requested for a stay on the proceedings in the cases against him, the bench said, “Only notice now. We have our doubts.”
The “Sulli Deals” issue surfaced in July last year after several prominent Muslim women raised the issue on social media about their pictures being uploaded to the app for virtual auction. In January this year, Thakur was arrested by Delhi Police from Madhya Pradesh. A Delhi Court in March granted him bail, observing that he was a first-time offender.
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
