The Karnataka High Court has strongly criticised a social media content creator accused of secretly filming women on Bengaluru’s Namma Metro and sharing the clips online, refusing to quash criminal proceedings against him.
During the hearing, Justice M Nagaprasanna delivered a sharp rebuke, questioning the accused’s conduct and raising concerns over women’s safety in public spaces. “What kind of man are you? You won’t leave women to be safe anywhere?” the court remarked, dismissing the plea at the outset.
The accused, BK Diganth, an accountant, was arrested last year by Banashankari police for allegedly recording videos of women without their consent and posting them on Instagram and Telegram under the handle “Metro Chicks.” The account had thousands of followers, with many users posting inappropriate comments on the women featured in the clips.
Diganth had approached the court seeking to quash the case pending before a Bengaluru magistrate court, arguing that the footage was no different from visuals captured by CCTV cameras in public spaces. However, the court rejected this comparison, stating that secretly recording and sharing such content online amounted to a serious invasion of privacy and could not be justified as surveillance.
“What is this ‘Metro Chicks’? You take pictures of women from behind and post them online? What nonsense is this?” the judge observed, underscoring the harmful nature of such actions when amplified through social media.
The petition also raised a procedural objection, claiming that the investigating officer was also the complainant. But the court dismissed this argument, stating that “technicality cannot override such acts,” and emphasised the need to address such behaviour firmly.
The case involves charges under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including stalking and providing false information, along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. With the High Court declining relief, the criminal proceedings against Diganth will now continue in the trial court.
