Curb Instagram influencers, fake therapists: Karnataka HC to govt
Bengaluru, Oct 9: The Karnataka High Court has advised the government to come up with some regulatory measures to check the growth of pseudo-therapists and 'Instagram influencers'. The court cautioned that many people were falling prey to such therapists online.
While rejecting a petition of one such 'influencer' who sought to quash a criminal case against her, the High Court had said in a September 2 judgement: Therapists of this kind are many on the social media. In reality, they are not bound by ethics or not regulated by norms. Cases of this nature have begun to emerge in large proportion wherein people wanting to get therapy fall prey to pseudo-therapists."
The court said, "In public domain, there is a huge number of such therapists. On the social media, therapists pose as if they are in the field of therapy. It is also in public domain that they are pseudo-therapists who are "Instagram influencers." Justice M Nagaprasanna was hearing a criminal petition by Sanjana Fernandes aka Raveera, a 28-year-old resident of Bengaluru. A complaint was filed against her by Shankar Ganesh PJ.
The case is now pending before a Magistrate Court in which she has been accused of offences of cheating under the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Information Technology Act. According to the prosecution, Raveera, an IT professional, came in contact with the accused on a dating app. After realising that Shankar Ganesh was under stress, she directed him to her Instagram page 'Positive For A 360 Life". She claimed to be a wellness therapist. After attending her online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic, the complainant transferred around Rs 3.15 lakh to her. Ganesh wanted to meet the therapist personally and started sending her messages. He was eventually blocked by her.
He later found out that she had 15 profiles on Instagram and other social media platforms. So he filed a complaint of cheating against her. Raveera, in her petition before the High Court, contended that Ganesh was sending her lewd messages and dirty requests and when she resisted, a false complaint was filed against her.
The court noted that the claims made by the accused about the therapy were unfounded. "It is her own generated web page, without any qualification. Therefore, it is a case wherein the petitioner without any substance or qualification lured customers into the web of wellness therapy through the web page." About her claims, the court noted that the "chats will reveal that the petitioner had initially represented herself as a wellness therapist and that her team will take care of the complainant.
Therefore, without having any team or any qualification whatsoever, it was the web page that was created to lure the complainant and the like. It is, therefore, the offence of cheating comes clearly made out against the petitioner."
The court said she had filed a case against Ganesh for the lewd messages which was also pending.
Dismissing her petition, the High Court, in its judgement on September 2, said, "I do not find any warrant to interfere with the case on hand as the petitioner has not demonstrated by production of such unimpeachable evidence of sterling character for this court to interfere or interject the proceedings."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Manipur ethnic violence claimed 258 lives since May last year: Security Advisor
Imphal, Nov 22: The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has claimed 258 lives since May last year, the state government's Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh said on Friday.
He said that the state would get around 90 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), over and above the 198 companies that are already in Manipur.
"The total number of deaths is 258 including militants," Singh while addressing a press conference after holding a security review meeting here.
The security advisor said that 32 people were arrested in connection with vandalism and torching of properties of ministers and MLAs while around 3,000 looted weapons have been recovered.
"We are getting approximately 90 companies of CAPF, over and above the 198 companies which were earlier sent to the state. A sizeable number of them have already reached Imphal. We are distributing forces to protect the lives and properties of the citizens and vulnerable points," Singh said.
The authorities would set up coordination cells and joint control rooms in each district, he said after the meeting which was attended by representatives of the Army, BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, SSB, ITBP and the Manipur Police.
"A number of SOPs (standard operating procedure) have been prepared for deployment of forces for coordination, for functioning, for fringe area security, for national highways security, and for any other important points which have to be taken care of," Singh said.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh would be briefed about the outcome of the meeting as is done in all similar cases, he said.
He said that nine bodies, including those of the victims including those of the six abducted and killed in Jiribam, were buried peacefully under tight security.
The bodies include three women and three children, who were allegedly abducted from a relief camp on November 11 by Kuki-Zo militants from Jiribam's Borobekra area when a group of Kuki youths were engaged in an encounter with CRPF in which 10 of them were killed.
"The CRPF post was attacked during which 10 militants were neutralised. Soon after that, it came to light that three women and three children were abducted," Singh said.
It will be found out whether the abduction happened in presence of the security forces, he said.
No information is available if the militants involved in the abduction belonged to Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups but it will be checked, Singh said adding that NIA is looking into the cases.
The SoO pact was signed by the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically thereafter.
The violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups, besides inflicting heavy casualties, rendered thousands of people homeless since May last year.
It started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
