CHENNAI: Acting on a complaint lodged by News 18’s associate editor Vinay Sarawagi against Youtuber Maridhas, cyber crime wing of Chennai city police registered a case under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act on Friday.
Curiously, although Sarawagi’s July 17 complaint names the controversial Youtuber, the police have not mentioned Maridhas as the accused.
Police, quoting the complainant, said Maridhas allegedly created an email id in Sarawagi’s name and from that id mailed himself a letter. "He then posted a video based on this fake email claiming that Sarawagi had confirmed all the allegations he had made when in reality it was an email he himself had created and sent," said a senior police officer, quoting the complaint
Maridhas had recently posted a video alleging that several journalists working at News 18’s Tamil Nadu channel were supporters of the Dravidar Kazhagam and the opposition DMK. He later claimed, based on an email purportedly from Sarawagi, that the channel had launched an inquiry into his allegations and confirmed that they were true.
Sarawagi denied having sent any such email and filed a complaint against the Youtuber in Chennai. The entire sequence of events has taken a political hue with Maridhas with some sections accusing the Youtuber of acting on behalf of the BJP to threaten journalistic credibility and independence in the state. Others have backed Maridhas in alleging a pronounced bias among several journalists in TN.
Having examined the complaint, police have booked under Sections 465, 469, 471 of the IPC and Sections 66(b) and 41 of the IT Act.