In response to YouTuber ‘Sattai’ Durai Murugan’s challenge against a Madras high court’s bail revocation, the Supreme Court granted him bail on Monday. Murugan faced accusations of delivering a derogatory speech against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in 2021.
During the proceedings, Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan of the bench questioned the ramifications of detaining individuals who make allegations on YouTube before elections, expressing concerns about the potential scale of such detentions. The bench concluded that Murugan hadn’t misused the granted liberty.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the state, urged the court to impose restrictions on Murugan to prevent him from making “scandalous” remarks while on bail. However, the bench contested the notion of determining the scandalous nature of statements.
Acknowledging Murugan’s 2.5-year bail status, the court found no grounds for revocation. Accordingly, the previous bail order was reinstated, with the provision for cancellation if deemed necessary.
The case revolves around Murugan’s appeal against the Madras High Court’s decision to cancel his bail after allegedly making derogatory remarks aiming to disrupt public peace, leading to his arrest in October 2021. Despite being granted bail by the Madras High Court in November 2021, it was subsequently revoked by a division bench. In 2022, the apex court granted Murugan interim bail pending further proceedings.
