Clubhouse app case: Mumbai sessions court rejects accused youth’s bail plea

“The investigation is in progress. The accused (was) found passing comments against females and (a) particular community. The involvement of other accused is noticed during course of investigation. The offence is not committed against any individual. It is an offence against all women,” additional sessions judge Sanjashree J Gharat said.

Prosecutor Kalpana Hire opposed Suyal’s bail plea stating he was part of a conversation on the app where objectionable topics were being discussed about women, mainly Muslims. Suyal, through his lawyer Rahul Yadav, claimed he was falsely implicated in the case and since he is young and is studying, his career and future will be spoilt if he continues to remain in jail.

The Mumbai Police had filed an FIR after a woman had filed a complaint when a two-minute audio from the discussion had gone viral. An FIR was registered under Sections 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two groups) 295 (a) (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings) 354 (a) (sexual harassment), 354 (d) (stalking), 500 (defamation), 509 (insulting modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000.

Earlier this month, Suyal’s bail plea was rejected by a metropolitan magistrate’s court, following which he had filed an appeal before the sessions court.