SC directs Tamil Nadu govt not to shift YouTuber Manish Kashyap from Madurai Central Prison
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Tamil Nadu government not to shift YouTuber Manish Kashyap, arrested for allegedly circulating fake videos of migrant labourers being attacked in the southern state, from the Madurai Central Prison.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha issued a notice to Tamil Nadu and Bihar governments on Kashyap's plea challenging his detention under the National Security Act.
"Apart from the relief sought under Article 32, the petitioner seeks to challenge the detention order under National Security Act (NSA). The petitioner is allowed to amend the plea. Issue notice on amended prayers.
"We direct that the petitioner be not moved from the Central Prison Madurai," the bench said. The matter has been posted for hearing on April 28.
Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Kashyap, submitted that NSA has been invoked against Kashyap. The arrested Youtuber also faces six FIRs in Tamil Nadu and three in Bihar.
Expressing surprise, CJI Chandrachud said, "NSA against him? Why this vengeance against this man?"
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tamil Nadu, said Kashyap made fake videos claiming that migrant labourers from Bihar were getting attacked in Tamil Nadu.
"He has got 60 lakh followers. He is a politician. He has contested elections. He is not a journalist," Sibal said while opposing the transfer of cases to Bihar saying that the FIRs in Tamil Nadu were registered over the interviews he made in the southern state.
The top court had on April 11 issued notice to the Centre, Tamil Nadu and Bihar government on Kashyap's plea seeking clubbing of the FIRs lodged against him.
Kashyap has already been detained under the National Security Act, Sibal said and sought time to file a reply.
The counsel appearing for Kashyap who has also sought quashing of the FIRs lodged against him over the same alleged cause of action had told the apex court that his client has now been booked under the NSA.
According to Madurai Superintendent of Police Shiva Prasad, Kashyap has been detained under the NSA.
Kashyap had, on April 5, appeared before the Madurai district court that ordered that he be remanded in judicial custody for 15 days, following which he was sent to the Madurai central prison.
In his plea filed in the apex court, the petitioner had sought clubbing of all the FIRs registered against him in Tamil Nadu with those lodged in Bihar.
The petition also said the issue of alleged violence in Tamil Nadu against migrant labourers from Bihar was widely reported in the media and the petitioner, from March 1 onwards, raised his voice against it by making videos on social media platforms and writing content on Twitter.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
