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WhatsApp posts admitted as evidence at Madras High Court

In first of its kind, Madras High court has passed an order based on WhatsApp posts. A PWD staffer, G. Parthiban had, in his WhatsApp posts, allegedly abused and threatened the petitioner, H.B. Saravana Kumar, a law graduate, for filing a RTI petition with Thanjavur East police station seeking certain details regarding him. Kumar, in the RTI petition, sought of the police answers to a few quarries relating to the arrest and remand of Parthiban in 2014.

Soon after filing the petition, Kumar received a phone call on April 15 reportedly from Velayutham, Sub-Inspector, Thanjavur East police station who made some basic enquires regarding the RTI application. Thereafter, Kumar received a series of calls from Parthiban threatening and abusing him using unparliamentary words profusely. Parthiban warned him stating that several leading advocates and a sitting Madras high court judge were his relatives. These conversations recorded by him were posted by him on WhatsApp  and this had raised eyebrows of advocates and rights activists.

On April 15, Kumar filed a complaint before Inspector, B-4 Madras High court police station to take action against Parthiban. As there was no action, Kumar filed a petition before the court seeking direction to the police to register a complaint and pass orders.

Article referred : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150424/nation-current-affairs/article/whatsapp-posts-admitted-evidence-madras-high-court

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