NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim anticipatory bail to Keralabased journalist TP Nandakumar in a high-profile defamation case. The vacation bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Prasanna B Varale issued notice on his plea while directing that if arrested, he must be released on regular bail by the trial court.
The case centers around a video uploaded on Nandakumar’s channel “Crime Online”, which allegedly contained defamatory and sexually derogatory remarks against a prominent woman politician. The prosecution claims the video was designed to intimidate the victim and damage her reputation.
Legal Charges & High Court’s Stand An FIR was registered under:
- Section 75(1)(iv) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (insulting a woman’s modesty)
- Section 79 (intimidation and reputational harm)
- Section 351(1)(2) (disseminating obscene content electronically)
- Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000 (publishing obscene material online)
- The Kerala High Court previously denied him relief and directed him to surrender before police, prompting his appeal to the Supreme Court.
- The apex court has listed the matter for further hearing after six weeks.
- The interim bail provides Nandakumar with temporary protection, but the legal battle over free speech, digital content regulation, and defamation laws remains unresolved.
- Legal experts are closely watching this case, as it could set a precedent for similar disputes involving media freedom and online expression.
