Delhi Court Grants Bail to Accused in Obscene Video Case Involving Union Minister for Extortion

A man accused of making an obscene video of a Union Minister during a video call and his co-accused, who allegedly made threatening and blackmailing calls to extort money from the Minister, were granted bail by a Delhi Court. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Snigdha Sarvaria, allowed the bail application of the accused named Vakeel after considering the facts and circumstances of the case. The accused had been in custody since July 11, 2023, and the court found that he was no longer required for custodial interrogation and that there was no fruitful purpose in keeping him behind bars.

However, the court expressed serious concern that the decision of the Supreme Court in the Arnesh Kumar case was not followed in this matter and directed the police to take appropriate action for non-compliance.

The accused’s counsel argued that he was not even named in the FIR and stated that he is the sole bread earner of his family, comprising his wife, six minor children, and old-aged father. The accused undertook to abide by all conditions set forth while granting bail.

The Delhi Police opposed the bail application, arguing that the investigation was still in its initial stage and other co-accused were still at large. They stated that the accused played an active role in the gang, making threatening calls to the victim and claiming to be an officer of the Crime Branch. The accused’s associate, Sabir, was reported to be absconding.

The case involved a complaint of a sexually explicit video call made to the Union Minister, which was followed by threats and attempts to extort money. The accused used two mobile phones during video calling, one for communication and the other to record the obscene videos, which were then sent to the victim to intimidate and extort money.

The court granted bail to the accused Vakeel considering the circumstances and the time he had already spent in custody. However, it also directed the police to take appropriate action regarding the non-compliance of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Arnesh Kumar case.

As the investigation continues, the court awaits the forensic report from the recovered mobile phone, which is crucial to the case.