Ernakulam CJM court grants bail to K M Shajahan
The court questioned both the police claims and the arrest procedures before granting conditional bail.
The court questioned both the police claims and the arrest procedures before granting conditional bail.
The court questioned both the police claims and the arrest procedures before granting conditional bail.
Kochi: The Ernakulam CJM Court granted bail to YouTuber K M Shajahan, accused of repeatedly defaming CPM leader K J Shine on social media. The court questioned both the police claims and the arrest procedures before granting conditional bail.
The conditions include that he must not engage in similar offences. Shajahan had earlier served as an additional private secretary to former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.
On Thursday night, Shajahan was taken into custody from his residence in Akkulam, Thiruvananthapuram, by a special investigation team led by the Chengamanad SHO. He was brought to the Aluva Rural Cyber Police Station and produced before the court on Friday evening.
The court, however, questioned how the police managed to reach Shajahan’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram within just three hours of registering the case in Ernakulam.
The court also asked how Chengamanad police could make the arrest in a case registered by the Aluva Rural Cyber Police. The prosecution explained that the Chengamanad SHO was part of the special team constituted to investigate Shine’s complaint.
The police argued that bail should be denied and that custodial interrogation was necessary. However, the court scrutinised the points raised in the remand report. The report alleged that Shajahan had repeatedly released videos containing sexually toned remarks and threats, disclosing the complainant’s name to publicly defame her and demean her womanhood, which constituted a serious offence.
The court, however, observed, “There are no sexual remarks in the video, are there? Then why is custodial interrogation necessary?” Following this, the court granted bail with conditions.
Earlier, based on Shine’s complaint that he was being targeted through cyberattacks and abusive comments, police had filed a case against Congress Paravur constituency secretary C K Gopalakrishnan and Shajahan.
The police raided Shajahan’s house, seized his phone, and questioned him for six hours before releasing him. Later, Shine lodged another complaint stating that Shajahan had mentioned his name in a newly uploaded video. It was after this that the police went to Thiruvananthapuram and took Shajahan into custody.