# Kerala High Court grants anticipatory bail to YouTuber Thoppi 2026-09-28T23:36:43+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Kerala High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to YouTuber Muhammed Nihad alias 'Thoppi', who was booked for allegedly livestreaming obscene remarks about a young woman. Justice Kauser Edappagath said he viewed the video and found no obscene or sexually coloured words were directly spoken by Nihad against the complainant, making custodial interrogation unnecessary. The prosecution had alleged that Nihad and others conducted a four-hour livestream on the channel 'Mrz Shameer', publishing photographs and videos of the woman without consent and making defamatory remarks. The court granted bail subject to conditions including a Rs 1 lakh bond with two sureties, full cooperation with the investigation, weekly appearance before the investigating officer, and not leaving Kerala without the trial court's permission. Nihad faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act and Kerala Police Act. He claimed he was falsely accused. The next hearing in the trial court is pending. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The court's bail order is the headline fact. LiveLaw led with the judge's finding that Nihad made no directly obscene remarks, while The Hindu front-loaded the condition of a Rs 1 lakh bond. Neither outlet questioned the judge's viewing of the video or the prosecution's claim that defamatory content was published. The balanced reading is that the court granted bail on the narrow ground of custodial interrogation being unnecessary, not on a clean chit. Next step: Nihad must appear weekly before the investigating officer and cannot leave Kerala without permission. ## Coverage - livelaw.in (neutral report) Leads with judge's finding of no obscene remarks, frames court decision as favourable to the accused - thehindu.com (neutral report) Leads with bail conditions and bond amount, emphasises conditions rather than court's reasoning Tags: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Justice Kauser Edappagath, Kerala High Court, Muhammed Nihad, Thoppi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-high-court-grants-anticipatory-bail-to-youtuber-thoppi/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-high-court-grants-anticipatory-bail-to-youtuber-thoppi/#story-in-brief