Madras HC Grants Bail To YouTuber Arrested Over Hijab Video
|The Madras High Court granted bail to YouTuber who had been arrested by the Coimbatore police in September this year on charges of cyber terrorism.
He was allegedly involved in creating and sharing a video on a private channel where he encouraged people to wear the hijab and share their experiences. The video, which was allegedly uploaded on social media, led to accusations that it was intended to disrupt public peace and promote communal disharmony. Specifically, he was booked under Sections 352 (intentional insult to disrupt public peace) and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Additionally, he faced a charge under Section 66(f) of the Information Technology Act, which pertains to cyber terrorism.
A Bench of Justice P. Dhanabal took into account several factors before granting the relief. The Court noted that he had already been in custody for over 50 days and had no previous criminal record.
The Court observed, “Considering the representation made on both sides, nature of offence, there is no previous case pending against the petitioner, taking into consideration the period of incarceration undergone by the petitioner and all other factors this Court is inclined to grant bail to the petitioner with certain conditions,”
Advocate P. Mohan Babu appeared for the Applicant while Government Advocate S. Vinothkumar appeared for the Respondent.
The bail conditions stipulated by the Court included that he must execute a bond of ₹10,000 and report to the police station every morning for the next month.
Cause Title: Anash Ahamed v. The State