Manish Kashyap Case: SC Issues Notice To State, Questions Vengeance

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the respondent on YouTuber and journalist Manish Kashyap`s amended plea challenging the detention order under National Security Agency (NSA). A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the concerned respondent to file a reply to the YouTuber Manish Kashyap`s amended plea. The petitioner Manish Kashyap sought to challenge the detention order under NSA.

The court allowed amending his plea. Meanwhile, the court directed the petitioner Manish Kashyap not to be moved from Central Jail Madurai till further orders and listed the matter for further hearing on April 28.

These directions came after Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave urged the court not to drag him from one place to another by production warrants. Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Manish Kashyap, informed the top court that six FIRs have been registered against his client in Tamil Nadu and three FIRs in Bihar.

He also apprised the court that NSA has been invoked against Manish Kashyap by Tamil Nadu police. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tamil Nadu Government, said, "Manish Kashyap has circulated fake news and an incident in which FIRs have been registered are of separate nature.

"One of the lawyers appearing for the Bihar Government said, "Manish Kashyap is a habitual offender and prior to the incident eight separate FIRs were registered against him in Bihar."Manish Kashyap was represented by lawyers Aditya Singh Deshwal, Abhijeet, and Ridam Arora. Kashyap`s counsels apprised the court earlier that National Security Act has been imposed against his client.

Manish Kashyap, a Bihar-based journalist said, "Many false FIRs were registered against him in Bihar and Tamil Nadu at the behest of the present ruling government."Kashyap sought interim bail and clubbing of all cases in one place.

He said, "Cases against him were filed because he has raised the issue of violence against the Bihar-based migrant laborers in Tamil Nadu on social media."The YouTuber, who was caught allegedly circulating false and misleading information about purported attacks on migrant labourers working in Tamil Nadu was arrested from Bettiah in Bihar on March 18.

According to the Bihar Police, Kashyap surrendered at Jagdishpur police station in Bettiah while the Bihar Police and Economic Offence Unit (EOU) were in the process of attaching his house. Kashyap was wanted by Bihar Police and Tamil Nadu Police in a fake news matter of laborers issue in the southern state, according to an official statement issued by the EOU of Bihar Police.

Last month, a team from Bihar led by IAS officer Balamurugan visited Tamil Nadu to take stock of the matter. The team visited Tiruppur and met the district administration and police officials to know about the actions taken so far in the case.

Officials of the Bihar government also interacted with Bihar-based migrant workers in Chennai. On March 9, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing it of spreading rumors about the attack on migrant laborers.

The Chief Minister further said that there are no such incidents in Tamil Nadu and the delegates from Bihar who visited the state returned with full satisfaction. Stalin had also spoken to his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and reassured him about the safety of migrant workers. The alleged assault on migrant laborers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu had stirred massive political unrest in both states. Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan had launched an attack on the Bihar Chief Minister on the issue.