Chennai: In a democracy, the voice of the dissent should be respected and a mere criticism of the govt or ministers cannot be termed a public order issue, the principal sessions court observed, while granting bail to political commentator and YouTuber Vinoth Suriya Kumar. He was was arrested by the cyber crime wing for a social media post linking HR&CE minister S Ramesh to fraudulent sale of land belonging to Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani.“Making false or derogatory remarks against someone can only be prosecuted for defamation under Section 356 of BNS and it is not a fit case for a translational investigation,” said judge S Karthikeyan on Thursday, granting bail to the YouTuber, with the condition to appear daily before the police station concerned. “Statements on the sale of temple land or linking it to the minister will not provoke people on the caste and communal lines,” the judge said.Earlier, advocate A Saravanan, who appeared for Vinoth Suriya Kumar, argued that the arrest was an attempt to stifle the voices of dissent and against the freedom of speech. “The intention behind the social media post was to expose the malpractices with respect to temple-related lands and there was no personal vengeance or vendetta against the minister,” Saravanan argued.Police had sought dismissal of the petition and sought custody of Vinoth Suriya Kumar for interrogation. However, the judge granted bail to the YouTuber.
