Right-wing YouTuber Maridhas was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police's Cyber Crime Wing from his residence in Surya Nagar, Madurai, on Monday, June 8. The arrest is linked to a case alleging defamatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Cabinet minister S Keerthana, and members of the state government. The YouTuber is being brought to Chennai by the police.
The case was registered following suo moto action by the police based on videos circulated on social media in which Maridhas allegedly made derogatory and defamatory comments against the Chief Minister, the minister and government representatives. The case has been booked under Sections 79 and 352(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
Section 79 pertains to insulting the modesty of a woman, while Section 352(2) deals with making, publishing or circulating false information or rumours with the intent to create hostility between groups, including through electronic means.
This is not the first time Maridhas has come under the scanner of the Cyber Crime Wing. In October 2025, he was questioned over social media content related to the Karur stampede during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally. The incident had claimed 41 lives and sparked widespread outrage. Maridhas was later released after an inquiry.
The arrest drew criticism from opposition leaders. Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman said on social media that if Maridhas' views were considered defamatory, legal proceedings could have been initiated instead of making an immediate arrest. 'If Thambi Maridhas's opinions are considered defamatory, a case can be filed legally; instead, an immediate arrest without any investigation is anti-democratic," he said.
Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran also criticised the arrest, calling it an act of repression. “The high-handedness of Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, who abruptly arrested social media commentator Maridhas solely for exposing the "real face" behind TVK’s "Reels model" of governance, deserves strong condemnation. Is unleashing such repression, unable to tolerate even ordinary criticism of their administration, the "alternative politics" that TVK had proposed?"
This article was written by a student interning with TNM