High Court grants bail to six accused in derogatory remarks case against actor-politician Ramya

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has granted conditional bail to six accused and anticipatory bail to one person in the case involving derogatory remarks made against former MP and actress Divya Spandana alias Ramya on social media. The comments were allegedly posted after Ramya made statements related to actor Darshan in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case in Chitradurga.
The accused K. Pramod, Manjunath, C.Y. Rajesh, T. Obanna, K.M. Gangadhar, and Chinmay Shetty — had filed for bail, while B.A. Vikas sought anticipatory bail. Justice Shivashankar Amarannanavar, who heard the petitions, observed that since the charge sheet had already been filed in the trial court, custodial interrogation was not necessary.
The court noted that all the accused had Instagram accounts through which they allegedly posted derogatory comments against Ramya. The charges under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) attract less than seven years of imprisonment, making the offenses bailable under certain conditions.
The bench observed that the alleged offenses were committed online, and hence there was no risk of tampering with physical evidence. Further, all the accused are between 18 and 25 years of age, and have cooperated with the investigation. Based on these factors, the court found it fit to grant bail.
Under the bail conditions, each accused must furnish a bond of ₹1 lakh and one surety of the same amount. The anticipatory bail granted to B.A. Vikas requires him to execute the bond and surety before the investigating officer or the trial court within two weeks.
The case stems from the backlash that erupted after Ramya posted her opinion on social media regarding the Supreme Court’s order canceling the bail of actor Darshan in the Renukaswamy murder case. Her comments drew a wave of abusive and obscene posts from several individuals claiming to be Darshan’s fans.
Following the online abuse, Ramya lodged a complaint on July 28, naming 43 individuals for making defamatory and sexually explicit remarks. The police registered a case under Sections 66(c) and 67 of the IT Act, and Sections 351(2), 351(3), 75(1)(5), and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — relating to criminal intimidation, intentional insult, sexual harassment, and statements made with the intent to outrage a woman’s dignity.
The police have since completed the investigation and submitted a charge sheet to the trial court. The High Court’s order, while granting bail, also made it clear that the accused must not influence witnesses or tamper with the evidence.
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