Chennai Police Arrest YouTuber Maridhas Over Videos Criticizing CM Vijay

On Monday, a special team of the Chennai City Police arrested pro-BJP YouTuber Maridhas from his residence in Surya Nagar, Madurai, for allegedly publishing videos and remarks criticizing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

The arrest was carried out by Chennai's Cyber Crime wing with assistance from the Madurai City Police. Following his arrest amid heavy police deployment at his Surya Nagar home, Maridhas was taken into custody and brought to Chennai for questioning.

According to police sources, the action was taken in response to a series of videos and public remarks that were critical of the functioning of the state government, the Chief Minister, and several ministers. Another police source indicated that the arrest was also linked to specific remarks Maridhas allegedly made during an interview aired on a YouTube channel.

While authorities confirmed that the Cyber Crime wing of the Chennai Police had registered a case, the specific legal provisions invoked and the details of the First Information Report (FIR) were not publicly released as of Monday afternoon. A senior police official stated that Maridhas would undergo questioning as the investigation progresses.

This arrest marks the latest legal conflict between Maridhas and Tamil Nadu law enforcement. Maridhas is known as a prominent right-wing commentator who frequently posts videos defending the BJP and criticizing Dravidian parties.

In December 2021, Maridhas was arrested by the Madurai police following a social media post after a helicopter crash near Coonoor that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others. In that post, he questioned if Tamil Nadu was "becoming another Kashmir under the DMK regime" and alleged that the state's political climate permitted "separatist" and "treasonous" activities.

Although Madurai police charged him with sedition, promoting enmity, and public mischief, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court later quashed the FIR. Justice G R Swaminathan ruled that the offences cited by the police were not made out by the facts of the case.

Following the dismissal of that FIR, Maridhas remained in judicial custody briefly for a separate case handled by the Chennai Cyber Crime Police. That case involved allegations of forging and displaying a fake email, purportedly from a senior editor of a news organization, on his YouTube channel to claim political bias in the media.