SC restores bail to YouTuber accused of derogatory remarks against Stalin

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, acknowledging that not everyone who posts allegations on social media can be incarcerated, reinstated the bail of a YouTuber accused of slandering Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in 2021.

“If before elections we start putting behind bars everyone who makes allegations on YouTube, imagine how many will be jailed?”a bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, as it set aside the order cancelling A Duraimurugan Sattai’s bail,

The Supreme Court asserted that Sattai did not abuse his freedom by protesting and voicing his opinions. It also dismissed the state government’s request to restrict Sattai from making scandalous comments while on bail.

The court was considering Sattai’s appeal against the Madras High Court’s decision to cancel his bail due to his derogatory remarks against Stalin, which violated a pledge he had made to the court. While seeking bail in a case, Sattai had submitted an affidavit to the court undertaking that he would not pass derogatory remarks against anyone.

Sattai was arrested by the police for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Stalin and others but had been granted conditional bail.

“Scientific inventions are made for the welfare of mankind. The Internet is one such wonderful invention that has transformed the lives of many.

“Even an ordinary man is uploading his day-to-day activities, skills, thoughts, travel experiences on YouTube. In fact, in modern society, in most families, everyday meals are prepared using the videos uploaded on YouTube,” the high court had said.