Karnataka High Court denies bail to 4 accused of obscene posts on actor Darshan's wife Vijayalakshmi

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail petitions filed by 4 persons accused of posting defamatory, obscene and intimidating comments on social media against actor Darshan's wife Vijayalakshmi [Chandrashekar B & others v. State of Karnataka]..Justice S Rachaiah dismissed separate petitions filed by the 4 accused in an order passed on May 29. “Social media platforms cannot be permitted to become instruments of harassment and character assassination," the Court said..The Court noted that Chandrashekar B operated an Instagram account under the name 'Chandra Shekhar' and allegedly posted comments that amounted to intimidation and harassment.Justice Rachaiah observed that the vulgar language used against the complainant related to sexual assault and reflected the petitioner's"The vulgar language used against the complainant relating to sexual assault. The manner in which, the petitioner utilized the public platform to make derogatory comments would show his mentality towards the community of the women at large...".Emphasising that freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions, the Court noted,"Exceeding such restrictions or invading the personal liberty of another person, certainly would be an offence and it would be dealt with in accordance with law.".The Court further observed that social media platforms have a responsibility to maintain decorum and public order and that baseless, false, frivolous and intimidating messages ought to be regulated by the companies themselves. Failing that, courts would intervene to protect citizens' fundamental rights."Whenever interference is required, the Courts without hesitation, will step into safeguarding the rights and interests of individuals or the public, guaranteed under the Constitution of India.".Rejecting the bail plea of Nithin GB, who allegedly used the Instagram account 'nithin_gb_official', the Court observed that social media is intended to facilitate communication and constructive exchange of ideas but is often misused by 'miscreants' who exceed legitimate limits of free speech..As regards Prashanth Kareepa Talavar, who allegedly used an Instagram account named 'halakat_randimunde', the Court noted that he had posted vulgar comments on December 21, 2025, when Vijayalakshmi participated in the promotion of the Kannada film The Devil.The judge remarked that the comments were "ridiculous and unpardonable" and that the manner in which the petitioner addressed the complainant indicated his attitude towards women.Regarding Ningaraj Gulappa, who allegedly operated a Facebook account under the name "Prince Chinna", the Court noted that he had made derogatory comments directly affecting the complainant's decent life. The judge recorded that the petitioner's mobile phone had been seized and that preliminary investigation indicated his involvement in the offence..Reiterating that courts are not mute spectators, Justice Rachaiah observed that whenever necessary, constitutional courts would step in to safeguard the rights and interests of individuals guaranteed under the Constitution.Advocate Manoj S N appeared for the petitioners, while Additional State Public Prosecutor Pushpalatha B represented the State..[Read Order]