Chennai, July 11:
The Madras High Court has issued a notice to the state government and police authorities, seeking their response to petitions challenging the preventive detention of a YouTuber and a political commentator under the Goondas Act.
A division bench comprising Justices Anita Sumanth and Sunder Mohan admitted two habeas corpus petitions questioning the legality of the detention of YouTuber Mukthar Ahmed and political commentator Trichy Surya Siva. The court directed the Chennai Police to file counter affidavits and adjourned the matter for hearing after four weeks.
The case stems from a complaint filed by a former BJP woman functionary, who alleged that the duo made derogatory, sexually explicit, and defamatory remarks against her. Based on the complaint, police arrested Trichy Surya Siva on June 4, followed by the arrest of Mukthar Ahmed in Mysuru on June 9.
Subsequently, the police invoked the Goondas Act against both individuals, ordering their preventive detention on June 16.
The petitions filed before the High Court contend that the detention orders suffer from procedural lapses and question their constitutional validity. The court’s notice now requires the authorities to justify the grounds for invoking preventive detention in the case.
The matter is expected to come up for further hearing after the submission of responses by the state and police authorities.