New Delhi: Orkut has again landed in a mess after a Delhi court ordered an investigation into the social networking site by the Delhi police over a complaint by an air hostess whose obscene profile was allegedly posted on the site by some unidentified net user.
In a complaint filed in a Delhi court, the air hostess has alleged that someone opened an account in her name wherein she is being described as a 'sex-struck woman'. She said the phone numbers given in the account belongs to one of her neighbours, an official at the Lok Sabha Secretariat, who has been receiving vulgar calls for sometime now.
A case has been registered in this regard after the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi, Kamini Lau, directed the DCP (Economic Offence Wing Cell) to conduct investigations through its specialised cell into the allegations and file a report by February 9.
The court has also held that the request for in-camera proceedings by the complainant's counsel would be decided on the day-to-day basis.
Orkut is an online community that connects people through a network of trusted friends. The site has been in the midst of several controversies of late. Recently, there was a demand to ban the social networking site for hosting an anti-Shivaji web community.
In her plea, the air hostess claims the act has lowered her image and reputation in the eyes of her family members and neighbours. She also said that she had written to the National Commission for Women and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry against her criminal defamation, but no action has been taken so far.
The 23-year-old air hostess says it was a rude shock for her when she discovered her profile on Orkut, complete with a photograph in her uniform. The person who put her on Orkut also made her a member of online communities soliciting sex. The profile was also connected to communities of air hostesses, both national and international airlines, and multi-national companies in order to make sure that her friends and colleagues notice her.
The victim says she noticed it first on December 26 last year, when she got to know about her profile on Orkut through a friend, who accidentally found it while surfing the net. Then the neighbour informed her family about the 'obscene calls' that they had been received.
Her account had by then been flooded with over 250 scrapes. The family of the air hostess immediately reported the matter to Orkut, which in turn closed down the account. But two days later, the profile was reopened.
The EOW of the Delhi police now plans to check out all the details of the persons who have logged into Gmail or Orkut during that period and created a profile. But there are doubts that Google would agree to share such information with the police.
"In such cases, everything depends on the information the network service provider is willing to share. We will have to find out the details of the persons who have logged into Gmail or Orkut during that period and have created a profile. This is possible only if Google agrees to share the information”, Hindustan Times quoted a police officer as saying.
If the guilty can be convicted, he or she can be sentenced to a rigorous imprisonment of up to five years with a fine of Rs 2 lakh under various Sections of IT Act and IPC.
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