‘To create disquiet in TN’: SC refuses YouTuber plea against NSA

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain YouTuber Manish Kashyap's plea against invocation of National Security Act (NSA) and multiple FIRs in Tamil Nadu and Bihar on his alleged fake video relating to the attack on migrant labourers from Bihar in the southern state.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala told senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Kashyap: "What is to be done? You produce these fake videos..."

Singh submitted that if NSA is imposed on his client, then journalists from other newspapers also cannot remain immune to the tough law, as they carried the same contentious news item.

The bench remarked: "You have a state like the state of Tamil Nadu. You circulate anything to create disquiet in that state."

Noting that the petitioner would be at liberty to pursue his remedies in accordance with law including his detention under the NSA, the top court allowed Kashyap to move to the high court to seek relief in the matter.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Tamil Nadu government, submitted that petitioner is not a journalist and he was a politician who had contested elections. The Bihar government counsel said Kashyap is a habitual offender and there are other cases against him.

Singh, however, reiterated that the same contentious news was reported by a leading newspaper and urged the court to club all FIRs registered in Tamil Nadu and transfer them to Bihar. The bench was informed that the first FIR in the matter was registered in Bihar.

On April 11, the top court had issued notice to the Tamil Nadu and Bihar government on Kashyap's plea seeking clubbing of the FIRs lodged against him.

Earlier, Kashyap had appeared before the Madurai district court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 15 days. Kashyap and others are facing cases for allegedly circulating fake videos of migrant workers being attacked in Tamil Nadu.

Kashyap sought clubbing of all the FIRs registered against him in Tamil Nadu with those lodged in Bihar.