MP HC Redirects MP Police To Gather Details Of Accused’s Email Accounts From Google Inc [Read Order]

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has again asked the state police to seek details of email IDs from service provider Google Inc of a man accused of forgery and cheating a woman, instead of demanding the man to furnish those details.

The man has allegedly forgotten the passwords of the email IDs he created and used in the crime.

Justice Atul Sreedharan said: “Ex facie, it appears that the demands made on the applicant herein border on harassment.” “In this age and time and especially, when the police possesses the expertise, all these details can be secured from the service providers itself,” the court said.

The court’s directive came after the applicant’s counsel pointed the applicant is cooperating with the police and has appeared before the investigation officer when asked to do so.

Now again the applicant was instructed by the police to produce hard copies and soft copies of those email accounts, the counsel said.

A case is registered against the man on the complaint of a woman for offences under sections 419, 468 of IPC registered at Police Station-Cyber Cell, Bhopal district.

The applicant is known to the complainant as both were coursemates at the National Law Institution in Bhopal between the years 2005 and 2010.

Earlier on July 10, the court directed the police to seek details relating to the alleged email addresses generated by the applicant from Google Inc, as the applicant is unable to assist on account of having forgotten the passwords to open those accounts from which  the forgery and cheating was allegedly committed.

Then the court also said Google Inc. shall co-operate with the police and supply them with all information related to the e-mail IDs alleged to have been created by the applicant herein and all the mails that have been sent and received from those e-mails IDs.

The investigating officer, in his report of July 31, stated that information is being sought from Google Inc with regard to those e-mail accounts and the response is awaited.