New Delhi | June 18, 2025
The Supreme Court of India has granted interim anticipatory bail to Kerala-based journalist TP Nandakumar, who was booked in a case involving allegedly derogatory remarks made in a YouTube video against a woman politician.
A vacation bench comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Prasanna B. Varale passed the order on Tuesday, while hearing Nandakumar’s plea challenging the Kerala High Court’s decision that had denied him pre-arrest protection.
Supreme Court’s Interim Relief
The Court directed that in the event of his arrest, Nandakumar shall be released on bail by the concerned trial court, subject to furnishing sureties. It also issued notice to the Kerala Government and sought its response within six weeks.
The bench clarified that this was an interim protection and not a final adjudication on the merits of the allegations.
Case Background
The FIR against Nandakumar was lodged after his channel, Crime Online, published a video containing allegedly indecent and defamatory statements about a woman MLA. The complaint invoked the following legal provisions:
• Section 75(1)(iv), BNS – Words intended to insult the modesty of a woman
• Section 79, BNS – Criminal intimidation
• Section 351, BNS – Circulating obscene material electronically
• Section 67, IT Act – Transmission of obscene content in digital form
The Kerala High Court had earlier refused to grant anticipatory bail and directed the journalist to surrender.
Case Details
• Case Title: TP Nandakumar v. State of Kerala & Anr
