High Court Drops Two FIRs in Ankita Bhandari-Linked Social Media Case

The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday quashed two of the four FIRs registered against former MLA Suresh Rathore over the alleged circulation of objectionable audio and video clips on social media linked to the Ankita Bhandari murder case , while permitting investigations to continue in the remaining two cases.

A single bench of Justice Rakesh Thapliyal ruled that the FIRs filed at Bahadrabad and Jhabreda police stations in Haridwar were based on allegations substantially similar to those already recorded in an earlier complaint. Observing that the complainants in those cases were not the direct victims, the court held that the FIRs amounted to successive complaints on the same cause of action and quashed them.

However, the court declined to interfere with the FIRs lodged by Dushyant Gautam and Aarti Gaur in Dehradun, noting that the allegations disclosed cognisable offences requiring a detailed investigation. The bench observed that associating individuals with a serious crime through social media posts in a manner that could harm their reputation was a matter of grave concern.

The court further stated that any evidence relating to a criminal case should be submitted to competent authorities rather than circulated online. It said questions regarding motive, political intent, or the possibility of an organised conspiracy behind the circulation of the clips could only be determined through a proper investigation.

The bench also granted liberty to Gautam and Gaur to seek police protection if they perceive any threat to their safety.

The controversy stems from social media content connected to the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a case that sparked widespread public outrage across Uttarakhand. While convictions have since been secured against the accused, the Ankita Bhandari case remains a larger story about justice, accountability, and public trust , continuing to shape public discourse and legal scrutiny in the state.