Manoj Kumar v. State of Bihar
In the High Court of Patna
Crl. Misc. 38154/2021
Before Justice Anil Kumar Sinha
Decided on January 18, 2022

Relevancy of the case: Bail application in a case involving creating a fake account on social media and blackmailing

Statutes and Provisions Involved

• The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Section 66D, 67)
• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (Section 12)
• The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Section 419, 469, 500, 501)

Relevant Facts of the Case

• The petitioner allegedly called the informant and proposed marriage. He then threatened suicide if she disagreed.
• In return, the informant staged a suicide attempt over a video call, which the petitioner recorded. He edited the video, created a fake social media identity, and shared it to blackmail and defame the informant.

Prominent Arguments by the Advocates

• The petitioner’s counsel argued that the petitioner made the first call in June 2020 and was falsely accused. The informant’s parents discovered their love affair and filed an FIR in February 2021.

Opinion of the Bench

• There is a lack of evidence of prior crimes.

Final Decision

• The court granted the regular bail to the petitioner.