Manish Kashyap, a YouTuber from Bihar, has been granted bail in all pending cases. He was detained following allegations related to a misleading video posted on YouTube, which falsely claimed that Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu were under threat.
Currently imprisoned at Beur jail in Patna, Kashyap has secured bail from both Tamil Nadu and Patna Civil Court. Mani Dwivedi, a close associate, confirmed Kashyap’s bail approvals and mentioned a recent grant from the Bettiah Court. Furthermore, on 20th December 2023, the Patna High Court approved his bail, initiating the subsequent procedures for his release.
It is anticipated that Kashyap’s release might be slightly delayed as formalities involving Beur Jail Administration, Chennai, and Madurai Court are underway. The Beur jail administration has communicated with Chennai and Madurai courts concerning Kashyap’s imminent release.
Earlier, after a case was filed against him, Kashyap was searched for, and his residence was seized. He later surrendered on 18th March 2023. Following this, Tamil Nadu Police took custody of him, and he was subsequently imprisoned in Bihar.
In a significant development, on 10th November, the Madras High Court dismissed the detention order against Kashyap and dropped the charges filed under the National Security Act by the Tamil Nadu authorities.
Investigations revealed that Kashyap had shared the misleading video, which was originally created by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar from Gopalganj district, Patna. The Bihar Police’s Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) registered multiple FIRs against Kashyap, and the Patna unit alone filed four cases. The incident pertained to a fabricated video depicting the assault of three Bihari workers in Tamil Nadu.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu Police initiated 13 cases related to the incident, with Kashyap being implicated in six of them.
Notably, in April, the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, raised concerns about the decision to invoke the NSA against Kashyap, questioning the rationale behind such severe measures against him.
