business

Updated: Feb 09, 2018 21:51 IST

Venture capital investor Mahesh Murthy was on Friday granted anticipatory bail after being arrested on charges of sexually harassing a woman based in Delhi and using obscene language while communicating with her on WhatsApp.

He was granted anticipatory bail last week by a sessions court, which had ordered Murthy be released on executing a surety of Rs15,000 in the event of an arrest.

The move came after the National Commission for Women (NCW) wrote to the Khar police in December last year. Based on the NCW complaint, a FIR was registered on December 29 against Murthy, a resident of Bandra (West).

Senior police inspector of Khar police station Ramchandra Jadhav said: “He was granted anticipatory bail in the case. It was a technical arrest.”

To all: the hon'ble court granted me anticipatory bail in this case some time ago. I am told it was a procedural technical arrest and I have already been released on surety.



(1/n) — Mahesh Murthy (@maheshmurthy) February 9, 2018

The FIR, registered on December 29, is filed under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (D), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and section 67 the IT Act (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form).

This is the same issue on which I had filed a case & and where the High Court has already passed an interim order in my favour & against the complainant back in April 2017.



This is an attempt to counter-sue. I will fight this too in court to defend my reputation.



(2/n) — Mahesh Murthy (@maheshmurthy) February 9, 2018

The woman approached the NCW last year with a written complaint alleging Murthy used objectionable, derogatory, obscene signs and sexual remarks against her on social media.

The NCW stated that they had received one more complaint from another woman last year alleging similar crimes against Murthy. Even as Murthy apologised for some of his posts, the NCW decided that action needs to be taken.

“He has sent similar messages to few other women and we are in the process of questioning him,” added the official.