Mumbai Court Discharges Man in ‘Bulli Bai’ Case, Citing Lack of Evidence in Hijab-Related Case

Mumbai Court Discharges Man in ‘Bulli Bai’ Case, Citing Lack of Evidence in Hijab-Related Case
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A Mumbai court has discharged a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with the 2022 “Bulli Bai” case, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to establish his involvement in creating or operating the platform.

The Bulli Bai app displayed photographs of more than 100 Muslim women alongside derogatory content and purported to offer them for online “auction.” The incident followed the similar “Sulli Deals” case in 2021, in which photographs of nearly 80 Muslim women were displayed.

The man, an engineering student at the time of his arrest, had been accused of involvement in creating the Bulli Bai platform. Prosecutors had invoked several provisions of Indian law, including those concerning promoting enmity, insulting religious sentiments, stalking, defamation, and offenses under the Information Technology Act.

The court noted that the main allegation against him was that he had followed the app and shared it. It ruled that merely following the platform did not constitute an offense and that his contact with some co-accused was insufficient to prove his involvement in creating, operating, or distributing content through the app.

The court therefore discharged him, citing the lack of evidence directly linking him to the creation of the platform or the uploading and circulation of the photographs.