In a first, defence uses Truecaller app to fight court case

NEW DELHI: The defence has used the app Truecaller to argue the case of the defendant, photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, perhaps the first time the app has been cited in a bail hearing in court. Yousuf was arrested for alleged stone-pelting and other offences in the Kashmir Valley. His defence counsel produced a document before a special court and said when verified by Truecaller, most of the numbers reportedly relied upon by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to show his links with separatists turned out to be of journalists while one number was of a police officer.
On a piece of paper, Yousuf's counsel, Warisha Farasat, re-produced the alleged numbers the NIA had mentioned in its chargesheet to show who her client was in touch with. During an earlier hearing the NIA had filed additional documents that were Yousuf’s call data records. The document, Farasat placed before special judge Tarun Sherawat had eight numbers and the names of the people to whom they belonged. According to the lawyer, the numbers were put on Truecaller, an app that identifies the caller.

The web shows Truecaller as a global telephone directory in standard use and reverse telephone directory format with caller ID, social media integration, and call-blocking functions. The service uses crowd-sourced data which enables it to work even in countries where public data is not available.

Relying on this app feature, Farasat said the eight names against the numbers were searched for and found. The NIA’s special public prosecutor, Sidharth Luthra, however, did not seem impressed. Luthra, submitting that the app could also show random names, proposed filing a formal application to file a reply to the document and sought time till Monday.