Bengaluru: The police have issued a notice to YouTuber Sameer M.D., known as Doot Sameer, following the release of his video on the Soujanya rape and murder case, which gained widespread attention across the state and the country.
Police officials had arrived at Sameer’s residence with the intention of arresting him. However, after he assured them of his cooperation in the investigation, they issued a formal notice and left. Sameer later spoke about the incident in a YouTube live broadcast.
“The police notice arrived at 10:45 PM. However, I have no fear because everything I stated in my video about the Soujanya case is backed by evidence. As soon as the video reached one million views, my personal information, including my address, was leaked on social media. Shortly after, I began receiving multiple death threats. I had no confidence that the police would provide me protection. So, I immediately reached out to Mahesh Shetty Timarodi and his team, who have been actively fighting for justice in the Soujanya case. They encouraged me and arranged legal support,” Sameer revealed in his video.
He further added, “As the threat calls intensified, I requested another Soujanya case activist, Girish Mattanavar, to come to my house. The police arrived at my residence while Girish Mattanavar was present. Before making the video, I had no prior acquaintance with either Girish Mattanavar or Mahesh Shetty Timarodi.”
Meanwhile, Girish Mattanavar clarified that Sameer did not name any individual in his video and that he had presented all relevant evidence. “Sameer has not made any controversial statements. Everyone should see Soujanya as their own daughter and come together to fight for justice,” he urged.
DGP issues statewide alert to police
In response to the viral video, the Director General of Police (DGP) issued instructions for heightened vigilance across the state to prevent any law and order disturbances.
On Wednesday, the DGP sent a fax directive to all district Superintendents of Police (SPs), expressing displeasure over the failure to inform higher authorities about the video in time. He highlighted that a person named Sameer had recently released a video on social media regarding the Soujanya murder case that took place in Dharmasthala.
The directive warned that the video had sparked public debate, with divided opinions emerging on social media, potentially leading to law and order issues. Officials were instructed to immediately activate social media monitoring cells and keep a close watch on related posts. They were also directed to report the actions taken to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) – Law and Order.
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New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
