The Kerala High Court on Tuesday, 6th May, granted bail to YouTuber Santhosh Varkey, widely known by his online moniker 'Arattannan', who was arrested following complaints regarding a derogatory Facebook post targeting female actors.

Varkey had been in judicial custody for the past 11 days. During the hearing, his counsel informed the Court that the police had not sought his custodial interrogation at any stage. Taking note of this, Justice M. B. Snehalatha observed that the prosecution was not insisting on the need for custodial questioning.

While granting bail, the Court imposed a condition prohibiting Varkey from making any derogatory remarks on social media during the bail period.

Varkey has been booked under Sections 75(3), 75(1)(iv), and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.

Case Title: Santhosh Varkey @ Arattanan v. State of Kerala