On Monday, a local court rejected the anticipatory bail plea by the accused woman. The couple, who were living together for more than a decade, worked in the pathology department of a reputed private hospital in the city.
The Mumbai Police admitted that this was the first time such case was registered with the force. A senior police officer said, "Six months ago they started having trouble in their relationship."
The complainant, while living together, learned that the girlfriend was passing off her pictures as the accused's on social media over the last two years.
The victim first found this last November, after the accused put a nude WhatsApp display picture. When confronted, she threatened to tarnish the victim and left the house. The victim over time pleaded with the accused, who refused to give in, leading to the case. The court rejected the accused's bail on the grounds that the mobile phone, which is substantial evidence in a case of this nature, had not been recovered yet.
As the case involves two women in a same-sex relationship, it is bound to open a Pandora's Box since Indian laws do not explicitly deal with such a situation.
India's Supreme Court reinstated a ban on gay sex in 2013. Those convicted can now be jailed for up to 10 years, after the court undid a lower court ruling in 2009, which effectively decriminalized gay sex.