Karnataka Home Minister says State’s Standing Orders making FIRs mandatory in ‘revenge porn’, ‘sextortion’ cases is to ensure right to privacy and victim-sensitive response

Home Minister Priyank Kharge took social media platform X on Thursday to announce that the Karnataka Police has issued a Standing Order making it mandatory for the police to register FIRs in all cases involving the non-consensual sharing, publication or transmission of intimate photos and videos, irrespective of whether the content was originally recorded with the individual’s consent, announced Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday.

Announcing the decision on the social media platform X, Mr. Kharge said that consent to record an image or video cannot be read as consent to share or circulate it. “This direction reinforces the constitutional right to privacy and ensures a uniform, victim-sensitive and legally sound response across all police stations in Karnataka,” Mr.Kharge said.

The Standing Order directs the police officers across the State to take immediate action in cases of “revenge pornography”, “sextortion” and blackmail involving intimate content. “The order clarifies that consent to capture or record an image/video does not amount to consent for its dissemination. Any sharing, publishing, forwarding or transmission of such material without consent is a distinct cognisable offence, even if the material was originally recorded with consent,” he said on X.

The police have been instructed to mandatorily register FIRs under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. These include Section 77 of the BNS, wherever applicable, along with Sections 66E, 67 and 67A of the IT Act.

“Where jurisdiction is an issue, police stations must register a Zero-FIR and transfer it to the appropriate police station without delay. Officers have also been instructed to take prompt steps for removal or blocking of offending content, preserve electronic evidence, and coordinate with Cyber Crime Police Stations and the CID Cyber Division for technical investigation,” the Home Minister emphasised.

The order further stresses that victims must be treated with dignity and sensitivity. “Their identity must be kept confidential, victim-shaming must be avoided, and wherever feasible, complaints of women victims should be recorded by women officers,” the Minister said.

Any failure or delay in registering an FIR on the erroneous ground of “prior consent” will be viewed seriously and may attract departmental action against the concerned officer.