The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Imphal West on Monday released YouTuber Johny Sarungbam on bail after the YouTuber furnished a PR bond of Rs 50,000, rejecting remand prayer of investigation officer for sending him into jail.
Johny Sarungbam, 37, son of S Chaoba of Singjamei Mayengbam Leikai, Imphal West was arrested on April 5 in connection with a series of viral Facebook posts which directly insulted and intimidated the aged womenfolk with intent to outrage reputation and modesty.
A suo-moto was taken up and an FIR filed against him under section 153 A/505(2)/354/500/ 506/509/120-B IPC for investigation by Imphal PS.
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During bail hearing, another police station Waikhong PS attempted to arrest him in another FIR No. 12(04) 2024 WKG PS u/s 153-A/505(1)(b)/ 505(2)/500/506 IPC. However, the court rejected the application for such formal arrest as devoid of merit.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday restored the bail to a YouTuber who was accused of making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in 2021 observing that everyone who makes allegations on social media cannot be put behind bars.
“If before elections we start putting behind bars everyone who makes allegations on YouTube, imagine how many will be jailed?” a bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, as it set aside the order cancelling A Duraimurugan Sattai’s bail.
The apex court said that the accused did not misuse his liberty by protesting and expressing his views and also rejected the request of the state government to impose a condition on Sattai to refrain from making scandalous remarks while on bail.
The court was hearing Sattai’s plea challenging an order of the Madras High Court which cancelled his bail as he had made certain derogatory remarks against Stalin in violation of an undertaking given to the court.
