Chennai: The Madras High Court denied anticipatory bail on Friday to R. Murugesan, a 48-year-old resident of Rathinapuri, Coimbatore, who is facing charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act of 2000. He is accused of sharing a blasphemous post about Prophet Muhammad on his social media account.
Justice P. Dhanabal rejected the advance bail plea after Government Advocate (criminal side) S. Santhosh argued that individuals cannot evade prosecution by claiming they shared the post by mistake or deleted it after realizing the error, as reported by The Hindu. Santhosh referenced a 2023 judgment by Justice N. Anand Venkatesh in the case of actor S. Ve. Shekher, which emphasized that individuals sharing content on social media must exercise caution and cannot escape legal consequences for any damage caused prior to the removal of the post.
Murugesan was booked by the Saibaba Colony police on July 20, 2024. His request for anticipatory bail was previously dismissed by the Coimbatore Principal District and Sessions Court on August 8, 2024, after reviewing the content of the blasphemous post on his Facebook page.
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Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
