Make an example of those who openly mock the law

The accused with the themed cakes

The Bhandup police initiated a process of externment - a legal process where a person is barred from residing in a specific area or locality for a set period - against a 27-year-old murder accused. This is after a video of him cutting birthday cakes decorated with Indian Penal Code sections, under which he is currently booked, went viral on social media.

The individual was seen celebrating his birthday on April 11 with cakes that labelled him ‘King of Bhandup' and listed the criminal charges he faces. He posed proudly with multiple cakes referencing serious offences.

The accused has at least eight serious criminal cases registered against him, including a 2015 murder for which he was arrested in Pune along with two others. The police said he has also been involved in extortion and is known to instil fear in the local community.

It is shocking, and the externment must happen quickly. On the face of it, it looks like a simple birthday celebration, but it goes beyond the limits of good taste. This is about mocking the system, ridiculing our law-and-order mechanisms. It will also influence people, especially youngsters who inhabit a parallel digital universe.

They may come off with the impression that being accused of serious crimes is no big deal. In fact, you can garner likes and adulation on social media, actually glorifying these deeds. It is equivalent to a murder accused ‘boasting' about his crime in the offline world. In this case, it was done creatively, but that does not make it correct. It is actually about ‘promoting' oneself and one's deeds.

Hugely disrespectful, the birthday cake cutting sends a message that it is okay to flout the law and then shout from the rooftops about it. Shut down this conduct with the strictest punitive measures.