The Allahabad High Court has raised serious concerns over the destructive impact of digital crimes, particularly the circulation of indecent images on social media, while refusing bail to a man accused of sharing a woman’s private photos via WhatsApp.

Justice Ajay Bhanot, while hearing the bail plea, observed,

“Digital technology is altering the face of crime. Indecent pictures of a person when circulated on public platforms by social media can destroy lives. This is the hard social reality.”

The accused was arrested in January 2025 under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. His bail plea had earlier been rejected by a trial court in April 2025, prompting him to approach the High Court.

While declining to grant relief, the Court noted that images had been recovered from the accused's possession and were awaiting forensic analysis, which pointed to possible involvement in the offence.

“The FSL report is awaited. The offence is grave. There is likelihood that the applicant had committed the offence. At this stage, no case for bail is made out,” the Court said.

However, the Court stressed the importance of expeditious trial proceedings, balancing the rights of both the victim and the accused. It directed the trial court to adopt all necessary legal measures to secure the presence of witnesses and ensure timely completion of the trial.

The Bench also warned against unnecessary delays caused by counsels or parties, stating that in appropriate cases, exemplary costs should be imposed.

Emphasising earlier directions issued to streamline summons and prevent trial delays caused by lawyer strikes, the Court asked for strict adherence to such protocols.

To monitor progress, the Court directed the District Judge to collect weekly updates from the trial court, while the trial judge was asked to submit fortnightly reports.

“Without going into the merits of the case, the bail application is dismissed,” the order concluded.

Advocates Satyam Mishra and Shailendra Singh represented the accused.