Youtuber Manish Kashyap Moves Supreme Court In Bihar Migrants Fake Videos Case; Says NSA Has Been Invoked Against Him

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on April 10 the petition filed by  Youtuber Manish Kashyap, challenging multiple FIRs lodged against him for allegedly spreading disinformation concerning violence against Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. The matter was heard by a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala. 

The petition was otherwise not listed today; but CJI DY Chandrachud agreed to consider the matter at the end of the board when the counsel mentioned the case today morning.

When the matter was taken in the evening, the counsel submitted that the National Security Act has also been now invoked against the petitioner.

"NSA has been imposed on me apart from multiple FIRs. I have not been supplied the copy of NSA", he said.

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the State of Tamil Nadu, informed the court that Kashyap was in custody after remand orders passed by the Magistrate. If the petitioner is custody as per judicial orders, then it will be difficult to entertain the writ petition, CJI DY Chandrachud orally remarked.

Kashyap was arrested by Bihar Police’s economic offences unit (EOU) after he surrendered at Jagdishpur police station on March 18 in relation to the case. He had shared videos of migrant workers allegedly being attacked in Tamil Nadu on social media. The videos were debunked as fake by fact checkers and the police department.

The petitioner's counsel also informed the bench that another bench of the Court granted relief to another accused in an FIR over the same issue.  He was referring to petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prashant Umrao. In that matter, the bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice Pankaj Mithal issued notice and modified the condition imposed by the Madras High Court which required him to appear before the police for 15 days. Besides this, the top court also passed an ad interim order that the anticipatory bail granted by the High Court would be applicable to any other FIRs registered in the state of Tamil Nadu with respect to the same cause of action.

Advocate Aditya Singh Deshwal Ms Ridam Arora and Anant Prasad Mishra appeared for petitioner.