The Madras high court quashed yet another FIR registered against YouTuber Maridhas after the Tamil Nadu state decided to arrest the journalist again – this time over an old video where he was seen criticizing Tablighi Jamaat.
Maridhas’ arrest was under the FIR on a complaint filed by an office-bearer of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam for his YouTube post linking Tablighi Jamaat members spreading coronavirus. The FIR was filed on 4th August 2020.
Maridhas was booked under sections 292(A) (publishing grossly indecent or scurrilous matter or matter intended for blackmail), 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505(ii) (statement creating or promoting enmity or ill-will between classes) of the IPC and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.
However, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai bench of Madras high court quashed the FIR noting that the offenses mentioned in it were not made in out in the tweet.
Earlier, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court quashed the FIR registered against him by the Madurai police for his controversial tweet in which he has highlighted celebratory tweets on the death of Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat by some miscreants.
