Sulli deals case: SC issues notice on Aumkareshwar Thakur's plea to club FIRs

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice on a plea by Aumkareshwar Thakur, who allegedly created the Sulli Deals mobile application, seeking to club all FIRs against him.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh wondered whether the plea can be allowed since the accused has been charged for different offences for distinct acts and also in connection with the development of two apps -- Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai.

The bench observed, "There are different offences. One is Sulli deals and another is Bulli bai. Can different offences be clubbed?" The bench further queried, if with respect to each website there is different proceedings, could it be possible to say whatever uploaded is confined to one place?

Justice Kaul told the petitioner's counsel, "You have uploaded photos of various people and each is an aggrieved party".

However, the top court sought response from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra governments. The bench noted that there were multiple uploads on the app, and there were different FIRs in connection with it. The top court refused to stay the probe. In the Sulli deals case, a Delhi court had earlier granted bail to Thakur, who was arrested in January this year.

Thakur allegedly developed Sulli Deals, an open-source app containing photographs and personal information of Muslim women. Thakur was represented by senior advocate Rajeev Sharma along with advocates Sahil Bhalaik & Tushar Giri.

Thakur's plea said, "The relief sought in the present writ petition is in terms of the judgment passed by this court in 'TT Antony vs. State of Kerala' for quashing of all the same or similar FIRs except the first one i.e., and that a single investigation may be proceeded with. In the alternative, the petitioner prays for clubbing of all the subsequent FIRs with the first FIR i.e registered at the PS Special Cell, Delhi".

The petitioner submitted that the FIR registered first in point of time dated July 7, 2021 at PS Special Cell, Delhi, may be treated as the main FIR and successive FIRs may be quashed.