Shajan Skariah, the founder and editor of Malayalam online news portal, Marunadan Malayali, was arrested on Saturday, August 26, in Nilambur. His arrest was first recorded by the Nilambur police on Saturday morning in a case where he was accused of creating communal disharmony. Following this, the Thrikkakara police in Ernakulam arrested him in yet another case with regard to forging documents and took him to Kochi. The arrest took place when Shajan Skariah appeared before the Nilambur police station for questioning, based on a complaint filed by the Chairman of Nilambur Municipal Standing Committee in July, this year.
Shajan is accused of forging BSNL bills and submitting them to the Registrar. A grievance was sent to the Chief Minister’s office, which was forwarded to the Thrikkakara police. The Thrikkakara police had sent a shadow police to Nilambur to arrest Skariah when he turned up at the Nilambur police station. Several local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were also present at the Nilambur police station while Skariah was being arrested by the Thrikkakara police. Shajan had been evading police questioning for many weeks and appeared before the Nilambur police as the Kerala High Court criticized him for not complying with the police order.
In July 2023, Shajan had got relief from the Supreme Court in yet another case. CPI(M) legislator PV Sreenijin filed a case alleging that the online portal and Skariah made derogatory remarks against him, which come under the SC/ST Act. Sreenijin is the son-in-law of retired Supreme Court Chief Justice K. Balakrishnan.
CJI DV Chandrachud, while hearing Skariah's petition, said, “His (Skariah's) statements may be defamatory, but these are not offenses under the SC/ST Act. He may have said something against the father-in-law (of the complaint), judiciary etc., which may be in bad taste.”