HC bail direction ordering closure of YouTube channel 'unwarranted', 'extraneous': SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday termed as “unwarranted and extraneous” the Madras High Court directive to YouTuber Felix Jerald to close down his channel as one of the bail conditions.
The top court also confirmed its September 6 order granting bail to Jerald sans the condition asking him to close down his YouTube channel "RedPix 24x7".
"The bail order of September 6 is hereby confirmed," a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Manoj Misra said after taking note of the submissions of senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the YouTuber.
The bench noted that following its earlier order Jerald has been already released on bail.
"One of the bail conditions (imposed by the high court) asking him to close down his YouTube channel was unwarranted and extraneous and we accordingly set aside that condition," the bench said, adding the other bail conditions will remain operational.
Jerald was arrested for hosting an "objectionable" interview of another YouTuber Savukku Shankar on his YouTube channel. Shankar was also arrested.
In the interview, Shankar made certain comments against Madras High Court judges and women police officers of the state. The high court, which granted bail to both YouTubers, had asked Jerald to close down his channel as one of the conditions.
Earlier, the bench had issued a notice to the state government and stayed the particular direction on closure of the channel.
It, however, had asked him to comply with other bail conditions.
"You are making scurrilous allegations against the judiciary and all women IPS officers. Why do you host such interviews?" the CJI had asked.
Sankaranarayanan had said such an interview should not have been shown.
The senior lawyer, however, said the channel has 2.4 million subscribers and the direction for its closure is harsh.
On September 25, the top court ordered "forthwith" release of co-accused and YouTuber Shankar who was detained just after his release under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act.
The order had come after the Tamil Nadu government apprised the bench that the state have revoked his detention order following the opinion of an advisory board on the issue.
Shankar (48) was arrested by the Coimbatore Police from southern Theni on May 4 for alleged derogatory statements about women police personnel and some Madras High Court judges in an interview on the YouTube channel "RedPix 24x7" on April 30, which led to several FIRs against him.
Besides these cases, the YouTuber also faces a case lodged by the Theni Police for the alleged possession of 'ganja'.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
