Mumbai: Court Grants Bail To Advocate Arrested For Sharing Manipulated Video Of CM Devendra Fadnavis's Speech, Deems Arrest Illegal

Mumbai: Varad Kanki, an advocate, arrested for allegedly posting manipulated video of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's recent speech on Naxalism on social media, was granted bail immediately after he was produced before the court by the Metropolitan Magistrate court, esplanade, after holding his arrest illegal.

Kanki was arrested by ghe cyber police on Thursday and was produced before the Magistrate court on Friday. The case pertains to 12 social media users accused of sharing a manipulated video targeting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

On his production, prosecution sought his remand for custodial interrogation, while Kanki's lawyer Aishwarya Sharma argued that his arrest was illegal.

The defence had preliminary raised the issue that the mandatory guidelines of arrest has not been followed by the police. It was contended that the grounds of arrest were not intimated to him nor to his family members by the police, which is now made mandatory.

Besides it was also argued that Kanki had not created the said post or the video shared in the said post. She argued that Kanki had just shared ghe video, which also he bad taken dowm from his account subsequently.

The court accepted the defence arguments and noted that there was nothing to show that the grounds of arrest were intimated to the accused and his family. The court held that the police had failed to follow the mandatory guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court. Hence, the court has held Kanki's arrest as illegal. The court thereafter ordered to release him forthwith.