Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Nov 23: A Criminal Miscellaneous Writ Petition has been filed in Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court for transferring criminal cases against Facebook to Special Task Force (STF) or some other specialized agency of UP Police.
The petitioner a social activist Nutan Thakur approached the court after the local police failed to take any action in FIRs filed by her against Facebook over alleged use of criminally abusive language. The local police reported that they have no expertise in computers so they cannot proceed ahead.
The case has been slated for hearing on Friday November 25.
As per Nutan Thakur, she had registered a FIR No 159/2011 dated 06 April 2011 under section 153A/153B/290/504/506 IPC and section 66A Information Technology Act 2000 at police Station Civil Lines, District- Meerut against Facebook Inc., Pao Alto, California, USA and many other accused who had used criminally abusive languages against Hindu Gods and goddesses and Muslim religious sentiments in a Facebook group with dirty title.
Her husband Amitabh Thakur, an IPS officer registered FIR No 65/2011 under sections 153A/153B/290/504/506 IPC and section 66A IT Act on 24 January 2011 at the Police station Gomti Nagar, District Lucknow against Facebook Inc. and others for criminally abusive languages against Mahatma Gandhi in the Facebook group titled “i hate gandhi”.
So far there have been two investigating officers in the case she registered and three in Amitabh Thakur’s case. Unfortunately, no progress has been made so far in either of the two investigations.
Even worse, the investigating officers have not even taken their statements as complainant. “The reason said by them is that the cases are related with Internet, Computers and Information Technology about which they have almost no knowledge. I also wrote at least four letters to the Director General of Police, UP on 07 May, 27 July, 12 October and 19 November 2011 to get the two cases transferred to some specialized investigating agency, preferably to the Special Task Force but so far the DGP has not responded to these pleas. It clearly shows that most of Uttar Pradesh Police has no expertize regarding Cyber crime and they are not taking any interest in this,” said Nutan.