The Madras High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a man accused of participating in the illegal pre-release online leak of the Tamil movie “Jana Nayagan,” starring Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Justice C. Kumarappan ruled on July 22 that custodial interrogation of the petitioner was unnecessary because law enforcement authorities had already submitted their final investigation report in the matter.
Court Finds Custodial Interrogation Unnecessary
In its decision, the court noted that the primary accusation against the petitioner was that he had viewed the unlawfully leaked film, with no major overt criminal acts directly attributed to him. The court emphasized that the suspect had previously cooperated with law enforcement officers and even acted as an attesting witness during the arrest of another suspect in the case.
Given his past cooperation, the bench rejected concerns that the petitioner might abscond or tamper with witnesses. The court further noted that the alleged piracy took place on April 11 and that other co-accused individuals connected to the incident had already been granted bail.
Defense Cites Complete Investigation and Lack of Evidence
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate C.A. Anburaja argued that his client was drawn into the case at a later stage without supporting evidence, based solely on unverified claims that he watched the leaked movie. The defense highlighted that the primary allegations were originally directed at the movie’s editor, who was later cleared of the charges.
Anburaja further contended that police were attempting to arrest the petitioner without serving prior notice, despite the investigation having concluded with the filing of the final report and the release of a primary co-accused on bail.
State Claims Accused Was Key Operator
Representing the prosecution, Government Advocate Arun Anbumani opposed the bail plea, characterizing the petitioner as one of the key figures in the piracy ring. The state argued that the charge sheet submitted by the police was only a preliminary report and maintained that custody was required to recover relevant digital equipment.
Background of the Case
The investigation relates to an incident on April 11, when leaked portions of “Jana Nayagan” were reportedly merged into a full-length feature and uploaded onto platforms such as Tamilrockers prior to its theatrical debut. Authorities subsequently registered charges including criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and copyright infringement against several individuals involved in the distribution.
