Conditional Anticipatory Bail for Sandeep Varier in Survivor Identity Disclosure Case

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Sandeep Varier has been granted bail with conditions in a case involving the disclosure of a sexual assault survivor’s identity and related online harassment, police said.

The Thiruvananthapuram District and Principal Sessions Court granted bail to Varier, the fourth accused in the case, directing him to cooperate with the investigation and restraining him from repeating the alleged offence. The case was registered by the cyber police following a complaint by the survivor.

Police have invoked sections related to revealing the identity of a survivor, insulting the dignity of a woman, criminal intimidation and misuse of electronic systems. The offences carry a punishment of up to two years’ imprisonment.

According to investigators, the survivor’s photograph was earlier posted on Sandeep Varier’s Facebook account. Though the image was later removed, the probe team suspects the deletion was deliberate and carried out only after the information had already been widely circulated. Police said the post triggered coordinated cyber activity, leading to the image being retrieved and circulated further, resulting in sustained online attacks against the survivor.

Mahila Congress Pathanamthitta district secretary Ranjitha Pulikkan is the first accused in the case. Activist Rahul Easwar, the fifth accused, was the first to be arrested and was later granted bail after spending over two weeks in jail. Congress supporter and lawyer Deepa Joseph is the second accused, while another account holder using the same name is the third accused. A total of six persons have been named in the case.

The case stems from complaints filed against congress MLA Rahul Mankootathil, who was booked last month for rape and forced abortion based on the survivor’s complaint. A second sexual assault case was later registered against the MLA following a complaint by another woman. While the Kerala High Court has granted interim protection from arrest to Mankootathil in the first case, he has been granted anticipatory bail by a Thiruvananthapuram court in the second case.

Police said investigations into the cyber offences and the coordinated online campaign against the survivor are continuing.