'Sulli Deals': Delhi L-G gives nod to prosecute accused

New Delhi, December 11

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has granted sanction to prosecute main accused Aumkareshwar Thakur in the “Sulli Deals” case related to the online “auction” of Muslim women, sources said today.

According to police officials, Thakur (26) will be prosecuted under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which pertains to prosecution for offences against the state and for criminal conspiracy to commit such offence. The police needed the L-G’s sanction to prosecute the accused under Section 196 of the CrPC, they added.

Thakur, who has studied Bachelors in Computer Applications (BCA) from IPS Academy in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, had allegedly created the Sulli Deals app and Sulli Deals Twitter handle that “auctioned” Muslim women on social media platforms with the aim of insulting them and the community.

The app and the Twitter handle listed hundreds of Muslim women for “auction” with photographs sourced without their permission. The photos were doctored.

The police had registered a case on July 7, 2021, and Thakur was arrested in January.

“The L-G is of the view that a prima facie case is made out against the accused and, therefore, the sanction is granted for prosecuting him,” a source quoting the order said.

After Thakur’s arrest, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) KPS Malhotra had said the accused had admitted that he was a member of a group on Twitter and the idea to defame and troll Muslim women was shared there. “Thakur had developed a code on GitHub. The access of GitHub was with all members of the group. He had shared the app on his Twitter account. The photos of the Muslim women were uploaded by the group members,” the DCP had said.