Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has quashed a case registered against a Hyderabad resident for allegedly posting rape threats on social media against the minor daughter of cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma. A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and PD Naik quashed Monday the case after the complainant, Kohli’s manager Aquilia D’Souza granted consent to drop the charges against Ramnagesh Akubathini.
Akubathini is a graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad. He was accused of posting objectionable tweets against the daughter of Virat Kohli and Anushka after India lost the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan October 24, 2021.
A FIR was registered November 8, 2021, against Akubathini under sections 354 (outraging modesty/sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation), 500 (defamation) and 201 (disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code along with offences under the Information Technology Act.
Akubathini was arrested by Mumbai police’s cyber crime cell November 11, 2021. A local court granted him bail nine days later. He moved the high court seeking to quash the FIR in February 2022. He was a meritorious student and rank-holder in the JEE (Advanced) Exam and wished to go abroad for a job but the case was causing hindrance to his career, pleaded Akubathini. The complainant Monday filed an affidavit granting consent for the case to be quashed. Accordingly, the high court quashed the FIR.
