The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday quashed the FIR registered by the Madurai police against YouTuber Maridhas. He was booked following a tweet that questioned whether Tamil Nadu was turning into another Kashmir.
Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed that Mr. Maridhas had posted the tweet following the tragic demise of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat. The tweet was posted as some people were celebrating the demise of the General.
According to the petitioner, some followers of the DK and the DMK had shared emojis on social media, following which he had posted the tweet. Later, the tweet was deleted. The DMK IT Wing lodged a complaint against the YouTuber. While the petitioner said he had only voiced his concern and opinion, and was well within his right to freedom of speech and expression, the State submitted before the court that the right was not absolute and was subject to reasonable restrictions. It said the tweet was a bid to topple the government.
“The petitioner's tweet was never intended to subvert the government. On the other hand, it calls for strengthening the foundations of government. He has merely vented out his anxiety. Hence, the tweet of the petitioner cannot be characterized as seditious,” the court said. It held that the charges against Mr. Maridhas were not attracted.
Welcoming the quashing of the case, State BJP president K. Annamalai said this was a ‘whiplash’ against the DMK Government’s “attempt at threatening” [Mr. Maridhas with cases] by acting in a one-sided manner.
