Delhi Police register FIR over alleged disclosure of Unnao rape survivor's identity on social media

New Delhi: Delhi Police have registered an FIR over the alleged disclosure of the identity of the Unnao rape survivor and the circulation of objectionable content featuring her on social media, a court was informed on Friday.

The development came during proceedings before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Panwar at the Rouse Avenue Court, where Delhi Police submitted a status report stating that an FIR had been registered at the Cyber Police Station on August 6 following a fresh complaint by the survivor.

According to the police, the FIR relates to allegations that the survivor's identity in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was unlawfully disclosed online, along with objectionable comments and posts using her photograph.

The survivor had approached the court alleging that several individuals continued to reveal her identity on social media despite legal provisions prohibiting the disclosure of the identities of survivors of sexual offences.

In her complaint, she stated that a similar FIR had been registered in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, in 2025 and that the case remains pending before a local court. However, she alleged that posts revealing her identity and photograph continued to circulate on social media despite the earlier criminal proceedings.

Following the complaint, Delhi Police launched a separate investigation and registered a fresh FIR to identify those responsible for the alleged online violations.

Under Indian law, the identities of survivors of sexual offences, including those covered under the POCSO Act, cannot be disclosed. Violations of these provisions are punishable under law.

The case is linked to the Unnao rape case, in which former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted by a Delhi court in December 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment. His conviction and sentence are currently under challenge before the Delhi High Court.

The cyber investigation is ongoing, police told the court.