New Delhi, July 25 — The Supreme Court of India has strongly criticized Kerala-based journalist Nandakumar TP for allegedly publishing a defamatory video targeting a prominent woman politician on his YouTube channel, Crime Online. The bench, comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan, emphasized that legal verdicts are the domain of the judiciary, not social media platforms.
“You want to convict people based on your YouTube videos? Conviction or acquittal doesn’t happen based on a YouTube video. Courts do that,” the bench stated during the hearing. Urging the journalist to promote constructive narratives, the court added, “Say some nice things on YouTube. Why do you put this crime online, etc.? Something nice happening in Kerala, God’s own country—speak about that”.
Nandakumar faces multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including outraging a woman’s modesty, criminal intimidation, and intent to cause reputational harm. He has also been booked under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for the electronic dissemination of obscene content.
The Kerala Police allege that the video contained sexually colored, derogatory, and threatening remarks aimed at humiliating the woman leader. The Kerala High Court had earlier denied Nandakumar anticipatory bail on June 9 and directed him to surrender. Challenging that decision, he approached the Supreme Court, which has now extended his interim bail pending further proceedings.
The case underscores the judiciary’s stance on the limits of digital content in influencing legal outcomes and reinforces the principle that justice must be administered through established legal processes.