Jharkhand High Court Denies Bail in Extramarital “Sextortion” Case
Case No: A.B.A. No. 5971 of 2025
Sandhya kaika
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Vijay Kumar Srivastav, accused of cyber-stalking, blackmailing, and violating the privacy of a woman with whom he shared a prior consensual relationship.
The petitioner was booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the IT Act, 2000. Investigations revealed that Srivastav allegedly:
Created Fake Identities: Used his mobile number to create fake email and Instagram accounts in the informant’s name.
Sextortion & Blackmail: Demanded ₹25 Lakhs or a divorce from her husband, threatening to leak obscene photos if she refused.
Professional Sabotage: Sent defamatory messages and explicit photographs to the Vice-Chancellor and colleagues at the informant’s workplace (Amity University) to force her resignation.
Privacy Breach: Compromised the informant’s dignity by changing her social media usernames 25 times and uploading obscene content.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the relationship was consensual for three years and that the FIR was a retaliatory measure filed under family pressure. They claimed financial transactions were mutual and that the informant, being a mature married woman, was equally responsible for the nature of the relationship.
Court’s Observations
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi rejected the defense’s “consensual relationship” plea, noting that a past friendship does not grant a license to exploit a person’s vulnerability. “To now unilaterally blame it on the informant... because she was already a married woman... will be unacceptable,” the Court remarked, emphasizing that the petitioner’s conduct “transcended the boundaries of a mere friendship”.
Final Verdict
Citing Supreme Court precedents, the Court held that anticipatory bail is an extraordinary relief and cannot be granted when it might impede a sensitive investigation. Consequently, the court vacated the previous interim protection and dismissed the application.
