Recently, while refusing to quash the case under SC\ST Act, the Bombay High Court has held that people should display social media status responsibly. The Court refuse to quash a case against a man for allegedly posting content that promotes hatred towards a religious group.

A Division Bench of Justices Vinay Joshi and Valmiki SA Menezes of the stated that:

The very purpose of WhatApp status is to convey something to his contacts. It is nothing but a mode of communication with known persons. One puts up the status in order to get a reaction and most of them crave for support. Nowadays, people are checking WhatApp status now and then. One should behave with a sense of responsibility while communicating something to others. 

In the said matter, the petition filed by Kishor, who sought to quash the FIR lodged against him for the offence punishable under Sections 295-A of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3(1)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (‘SC and ST Act’) and Section 67-A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The FIR against Landkar stems from an incident in March 2023 when he allegedly uploaded a religiously offensive post as his WhatsApp status.

The post contained a question, prompting viewers to search for it on Google to obtain shocking results. When the complainant searched for the question, objectionable material that outraged religious feelings appeared as search results.