Madras High Court Deems YouTube Channels Publishing Derogatory Content a ‘Menace to Society’
The Madras High Court made verbal observations on Thursday regarding the deliberate publication of derogatory content by certain YouTube channels, labeling them as a “menace to society” and calling for government intervention to address these activities.
Presiding over a vacation bench, Justice K Kumaresh Babu expressed concern over the nature of content being circulated, criticizing it as sensationalist and designed to attract subscriptions rather than provide informative or constructive dialogue.
The judge’s remarks came during the hearing of an anticipatory bail petition filed by G Felix Gerald, associated with the RedPix YouTube channel. Gerald faced charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act of 1988 following an interview he conducted with YouTuber Savukku Shankar, wherein derogatory comments were allegedly made against women and women police personnel.
Following the interview, numerous complaints were lodged against both Shankar and Gerald, leading to Shankar’s arrest by the Coimbatore Police on May 4. Shankar was subsequently remanded to judicial custody and is presently held in Coimbatore Central Prison.
Gerald sought protection from arrest through his petition to the High Court.
During the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) E Raj Thilak opposed the petition, arguing that Gerald had facilitated the derogatory statements made by Shankar and failed to comply with police summons.
In response, the Court remarked that Gerald should have been named as a co-accused alongside Shankar. It granted the police a week’s time to file a counter affidavit to Gerald’s anticipatory bail plea.
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