PRAVEENKUMAR Vs. STATE REP. BY THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Criminal Original Petition has been filed seeking to quash C.C.No.29 of 2026 on the file of the Judicial Magistrate No.I, Udumalpet.

(2.) The petitioner/accused in C.C.No.29 of 2026 for offence under Ss. 79, 351(3) of BNS, 2023, Sec. 4 of Tamilnadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002 and Ss. 66E and 67A of Information Technology Act, 2000 had filed this quash petition.

(3.) The case of the prosecution is that the de facto complainant residing with her family members in Udumalpet and she was employed as telecaller in a finance company. The petitioner/accused is relative to the de facto complainant and he was in love with another relative girl Saranya. The petitioner used to visit de facto complainant 's house frequently and he used to take photographs of the de facto complainant 's relatives whenever they met for occasions. On 27/5/2024, the birthday of one Dharanidharan, brother of de facto complainant 's sister-in-law, celebrated. At that time, Dharanidharan asked the laptop of the petitioner for applying for a job. When the de facto complainant opened the laptop to see the job status of Dharanidaran, she accidentally accessed the Telegram App and saw some messages. In the said App, she found nude photographs of Indhira/de facto complainant, Keerthana and Saranya. The said photographs morphed, the petitioner was called and enquired, and he sought apology, informed that he would not repeat such mistake in future. Thereafter, he erased the files from the laptop. Two days thereafter, the petitioner went to the house of Saranya and forced her to continue her relationship with him and to speak with lust. When she refused, he threatened her informing, he has all photo recordings stored in his mobile phone and he will publish the same in social media. Thereafter, she informed to the de facto complainant, who went to the house of the petitioner, enquired with his parents, collected the mobile phone and lodged a complaint. Based on the said complaint, case registered in Crime No.31 of 2025 on 1/6/2025. After completion of investigation, charge sheet filed on 12/2/2026 and the same taken on file in C.C.No.29 of 2026.