Madras HC Grants Bail to Man Who Showed Intimate Pictures of Former Girlfriend to Her Prospective Husband, Causing Her Marriage to Fall Through [Read Order]

Chennai: The Madras High Court has granted bail to a man who was arrested for showing intimate photographs of his former girlfriend to her prospective husband—an act that led to the cancellation of her marriage—holding that the petitioner had been in custody for over 61 days and that the investigation had been completed.

The order was passed by Justice C. Kumarappan on April 2, 2026, in Crl.O.P. No. 8350 of 2026, on a petition filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The petitioner, Murugan, had been arrested for alleged offences under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, read with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, in Crime No. 03 of 2026 registered with the Virugambakkam All Women Police Station, Chennai.

The prosecution’s case was that the petitioner and the complainant had previously been in a relationship. At a certain point, owing to conflicts between them, the complainant severed contact with the petitioner. She subsequently arranged to marry one Ramesh Mehta on January 28, 2026. Upon learning of the impending marriage, the petitioner sent intimate photographs of himself and the complainant to both families, which resulted in the marriage being called off and led to the registration of the present case.

Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the photographs in question had been taken with the complainant’s consent and that the allegations in the case were largely consensual in nature. He urged that the petitioner had already been in custody for more than 61 days and that his continued incarceration would not serve any further purpose, particularly since the investigation had been completed. The Government Advocate fairly conceded that the investigation stood concluded.

Taking into consideration the totality of the circumstances, including the period of incarceration and the fact that there was unlikely to be any interference with the complainant at this stage, the Court granted bail on a personal bond of ₹25,000, with two sureties of the same amount, subject to conditions including that the petitioner stay in Trichy, report daily to the Palakkarai Police Station for a period of two weeks, refrain from tampering with evidence or witnesses, and not abscond during the investigation or trial.

For the Petitioner: Mr. V. Ramanareddy, Advocate
For the Respondent: Mr. S. Vinoth Kumar, Government Advocate (Criminal Side)

Case Title: Murugan v. State rep. by the Inspector of Police

[Read Order]