HC denies Advance Bail to WhatsApp group Admin for citing inaction by Minister

The High Court of Madras has denied anticipatory bail to a WhatsApp group administrator & a member of that group for posting a photograph of Industries Minister M.C. Sampath along with a message that he is missing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justice T. Ravindran turned down the petition of K. Arumugam & R. Balaji of Melkumaramangalam near Panruti in Cuddalore district after concurring with Additional Public Prosecutor T. Shunmugarajeswaran that they must be subjected to custodial interrogation.

According to the prosecution, they had booked the petitioners under various provisions of the IPC as well as the Information Technology Act of 2000 on the basis of a complaint lodged by an All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) cadre P. Rajini on April 2.

The complainant had said that Arumugam, a local resident, was the admin of a WhatsApp group titled Melkumaramangalam & Balaji, the husband of the panchayat union president B. Mahalakshmi, was a member in that group.

Accusing Balaji of being in the habit of spreading canards against the Minister, the complainant said that on April 2 a false message was circulated in the WhatsApp group as if the Minister was missing in action in the fight against COVID-19.

Further, alleging that the Minister had been actively supervising the distribution of relief material & other official work in the district, the complainant had urged the police to take action against the duo for spreading a false message. 

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