The Supreme Court of India ruled on Friday that the Madras High Court’s directive for YouTuber Felix Jerald to shut down his channel, “RedPix 24×7,” as a bail condition was “unwarranted and extraneous.” The apex court confirmed its earlier order from September 6, which granted bail to Jerald without the stipulation to close his channel.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Manoj Misra noted the arguments presented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who represented Jerald. The court acknowledged that Jerald had already been released on bail following its prior order.
The Supreme Court stated, “One of the bail conditions (imposed by the high court) asking him to close down his YouTube channel was unwarranted and extraneous,” while confirming that other bail conditions would remain in effect.
Jerald had been arrested for hosting a controversial interview with fellow YouTuber Savukku Shankar, during which derogatory remarks were made about Madras High Court judges and women police officers. Although both YouTubers were granted bail by the high court, the directive to close Jerald’s channel was imposed as a condition.
The Supreme Court had previously issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government and temporarily stayed the order to close the channel, while requiring compliance with other bail conditions. Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned the rationale behind hosting such interviews, emphasizing the serious nature of the allegations made against the judiciary.
Sankaranarayanan contended that shutting down a channel with 2.4 million subscribers was excessively harsh.
On September 25, the court ordered the immediate release of co-accused Shankar, who had been detained under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act shortly after being granted bail. The Tamil Nadu government informed the court that the detention order had been revoked following a review by an advisory board.
Shankar had been arrested on May 4 for allegedly making derogatory statements about women police personnel and judges during the interview on “RedPix 24×7,” which had led to multiple FIRs against him. In addition to these charges, he is also facing a case regarding the possession of cannabis.
