The 'Bulli Bai' app was allegedly a mock auction platform used to upload photos of Muslim women with objectionable comments. The student, Vishal Jha, was the first person arrested in the case by the Mumbai Police.
Jha's lawyer argued that the only allegation against him was that he had followed and shared the app. The court cited a previous ruling from the Allahabad High Court, stating that merely following a page or app online does not constitute an offense.
While the court acknowledged that Jha was in contact with co-accused, it found no further role attributed to him by the prosecution that would indicate his involvement in creating the app or assisting in its creation. There were also no allegations that he shared any photographs.
In April, the court had rejected a similar discharge plea from another accused, Mayank Rawat, finding prima facie evidence of outraging the modesty of women by downloading and posting their photographs from social media.
The cyber cell unit had filed a complaint under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, including those related to promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings, stalking, defamation, and insulting the modesty of a woman.