Karnataka High Court Instructs Government To Curb Fake Therapists, Instagram Influencers

The Karnataka High Court has instructed the state government to develop some regulatory measures to keep track of the growth of pseudo-therapists and 'Instagram influencers'.

The Karnataka HC warned that several people fell prey to such online therapists. It rejected a petition of one such 'influencer' on September 2, who sought to revoke a criminal case registered against her. It said in its verdict, "Therapists of this kind are many on social media. In reality, they are not bound by ethics or not regulated by norms. Cases of this nature have begun to emerge in large proportion wherein people wanting to get therapy fall prey to pseudo-therapists."

The HC observed that there are numerous such therapists in the public domain, and on social media, they pose as if they are in the field of therapy. It added that it is also publicly known that they are pseudo-therapists who are 'Instagram influencers.'

Case Registered Against One Such 'Influencer'

The court led by Justice M Nagaprasanna was hearing a criminal petition filed by 28-year-old Sanjana Fernandes, aka Raveera, who is a resident of Bengaluru. A complaint was registered against her by Shankar Ganesh PJ.

The case in which she has been accused of offences of cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and different sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, is now pending before a Magistrate Court, reported NDTV.

According to the prosecution, Raveera is an IT professional, and she came in contact with the complainant on a dating app. After realising Ganesh was under stress, she referred him to her Instagram page, 'Positive For A 360 Life,' and claimed to be a wellness therapist.

After attending her online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, he transferred about ₹ 3.15 lakh to the self-claimed therapist. He wanted to meet her personally and began sending her messages, but eventually, she blocked him.

Ganesh later found out that Raveera had 15 profiles on Instagram and other social media platforms, following which he registered a criminal case of cheating against the woman. In her petition before the State High Court, she contended that the man was sending her obscene messages and filthy requests, and when she resisted, a false complaint was filed against her.

Karnataka High Court's Observations

The HC observed that the claims made by the accused about the therapy were unsubstantiated. It stated, "It is her own generated web page, without any qualification. Therefore, it is a case wherein the petitioner, without any substance or qualification, lured customers into the web of wellness therapy through the web page."

About her assertions, the court remarked that the conversation (chat) would reveal that the petitioner had at first represented herself as a wellness therapist and that her team would take care of the complainant.

It noted that without any team or qualification whatsoever, the web page was created to lure the complainant and the like. It is; therefore, the cheating offence comes clearly against the petitioner.

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