MHC quashes detention order passed against PUBG Madan under Goondas Act

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday quashed the detention order passed against YouTuber and PUBG player Madankumar Manickam aka PUBG Madan under the Goondas Act on charges of hosting obscene conversations with minors and women while live-streaming gaming videos.

A division bench of Justice PN Prakash and Justice AA Nakkiran quashed the order while disposing of a corpus petition filed by Madan.

The petitioner sought direction to enlarge him on bail by quashing the detention order passed by the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) commissioner on July 6, 2021.

While granting relief to the accused after eight months of his arrest, the bench observed that the police and government had failed to take a call on a representation made by the petitioner against his detention within a particular time frame.

Madan's counsel submitted that the police officials had detained him under the Goondas Act without the applying the mind.

"When I made a representation to the police seeking my case documents, those were not served to me. My business opponents edited my videos and uploaded the same by including the obscene content to defame me," Madan said in his affidavit.

He further submitted that playing PUBG will never attract law and order problems.

"PUBG game will not disturb the tranquillity in the society. I played Korean PUBG game which was not banned by India" the YouTuber noted.

On June 18, cyber crime police of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested Madan in Dharmapuri for live streaming the obscene web content in a way depicting women in poor light.

The CCB booked him under Sections 294(b)(uttering obscene words) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC, read with provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

As about 160 complaints flooded against Madan, the GCP commissioner ordered to detain Madan under Goondas Act.