Thrissur: Police have booked a 25-year-old man from Chovannur in Kunnamkulam under Sections 66A and 66E of the Information Technology Act for allegedly morphing and circulating photographs of several women on social media. The inclusion of Section 66A, which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015, has drawn criticism. The accused surrendered before the police, and his arrest was formally recorded. He will be produced before a court on Saturday after detailed interrogation.

The accused has been identified as Ananthu (25), a native of Chovannur. The incident came to light after a friend of the complainant spotted a morphed image of the woman circulating on social media and alerted her. She subsequently lodged a complaint with the police.

According to local residents, suspicion over the accused’s activities prompted them to stop him and examine his mobile phone. They allegedly found thousands of morphed images of around 70 women from nearly 40 families in the locality stored on the device.

The police have come under criticism for invoking Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, which is no longer enforceable after being struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015. The other provision cited in the FIR, Section 66E, is a bailable offence.

The complainants alleged that invoking a defunct legal provision alongside a bailable offence raises concerns about the manner in which the case has been handled. They also accused the police of adopting a lackadaisical approach to the woman’s complaint.