• YouTuber Anash Ahamed was arrested on charges of cyber terrorism after sharing a video encouraging people to try wearing the hijab and share their experiences.
• Ahamed faced charges under the Indian Penal Code for creating public mischief and under the Information Technology Act for cyber terrorism.
Last week, The Madras High Court granted bail to YouTuber Anash Ahamed, who had been arrested by Coimbatore police in September on charges of cyber terrorism.
Ahamed had recorded and shared a video on a private Youtube channel, asking individuals to try the hijab and share their experiences. Subsequently, the court ordered Ahamed to post a ₹10,000 bond and to report to the police every morning for the next month.
Ahamed was arrested on September 5 and charged under Sections 352 (intentional insult to disrupt public peace) and 353 (statements leading to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Section 66(f) of the Information Technology Act for cyber terrorism.
“Considering the representation made on both sides, nature of offence, there is no previous case pending against the petitioner, taking into consideration the period of incarceration undergone by the petitioner and all other factors this Court is inclined to grant bail to the petitioner with certain conditions,” read the order issued on October 30 by Justice P. Dhanbal, reported by Bar and Bench.
The prosecution contested his bail, claiming that the video “was intended to disturb public peace and promote emnity between two religions.”
It’s important to note, similar social experiments on YouTube are permitted to be filmed and uploaded without restriction outside of India:
