The Madras High Court made an oral observation on Thursday that some YouTube channels were displaying derogatory content to increase their subscriptions, which has become a "menace" to society. The court believes that it is high time for the government to take action and control such channels. The observation came during the hearing of a bail petition filed by G. Felix Gerald of the RedPix YouTube channel, who was charged with fellow YouTuber, Savukku Shankar, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, 1988.
Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak told the court that the Coimbatore cybercrime cell had registered a case against Gerald and Shankar after the petitioner interviewed the latter and had probably facilitated him to make derogatory statements against women police personnel, thereby lowering the morale of the entire police force.
On May 4, the cybercrime cell arrested Shankar, who had been named as the primary accused. During the court proceedings, the prosecuting attorney informed the court that Gerald had been asked to appear for questioning but had failed to do so. The petitioner’s counsel argued that his client had worked as a journalist for 25 years. In response, the judge stated that Gerald should have been the first accused in the case since it was he who had encouraged the interviewee to make derogatory comments about women.
"Is this what you even call an interview?" Justice Kumaresh Babu asked, noting that Gerald would have posed the question knowing well that the interviewee would answer it in a particular way.
The judge also said that Gerald would have let Shankar make derogatory statements against women and encouraged it.
The court asked the APP whether the petitioner should be asked to appear before the investigating officer on the condition that no coercive steps would be taken against him, but the APP responded that this would be like providing anticipatory bail indirectly.
Following this, the judge adjourned the hearing on the bail plea by a week.
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Inputs from IANS
