G Square case: Chennai police drop names of Vikatan, Savukku and Maridhas from FIR

The FIR, registered based on a complaint by G Square Realtors, now names “Kevin and others” as the accused.
Collage of Savukku, Maridhas and the Junior Vikatan logo
Collage of Savukku, Maridhas and the Junior Vikatan logo
Written by:

Amid the controversy surrounding the arrest of Kevin — who claimed to be close to the top editors of Tamil magazine Junior Vikatan — for allegedly demanding Rs 50 lakh payment from a real estate company to not publish a story about it, the Chennai police have altered the FIR to drop the names of the magazine’s editors, YouTuber Maridhas and whistleblower Savukku.

Based on a complaint filed by the real estate company, G Square Realtors, the Chennai police had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the Junior Vikatan staff, YouTuber Maridhas and whistleblower Savukku. However, after a counter-complaint by Junior Vikatan editor Kalai Selvan, the FIR was changed on Wednesday, June 1, to name only “Kevin and others”. The accused have been booked under sections 294(b) (obscene words), 384 r/w 511 (attempt of extortion) and 506(II) r/w 34 (criminal intimidation to life, with common intention).

On May 21, G Square Realtors lodged a complaint with the police, stating that they had received a call from Kevin, who demanded Rs 50 lakh from the firm to “stop publishing a story that the magazine had written on G Square”. When the company did not comply, the article was published in Junior Vikatan in January 2022, which alleged that G Square Realtors had ties with the ruling DMK, and that it took the help of government officials for smooth operation of its business. The complaint further stated that Kevin threatened to get influential social media users like Maridhas and Savukku to write defamatory articles on the company if Rs 50 lakh was not paid.

The editors of Junior Vikatan have maintained that they have no ties with Kevin, who was later arrested by the Mylapore police on May 22. Editor Kalai Selvan also filed a complaint with the City Police Commissioner against Kevin and Ramajayam alias Bala, the founder and director of G Square Realtors. Kalai Selvan said that the case against Junior Vikatan was false, and that it was an attempt to silence the magazine.

Watch TNM’s Shabbir Ahmed speak to Kalai Selvan about the controversy: 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com