HC stays police custody of singer facing sedition charge

The Madras High Court today stayed a local court order remanding ultra-Left propagandist singer, arrested for alleged sedition, to two days police custody.
Justice C T Selvam passed the interim direction at a special hearing held at his residence on a petition by the singer, Kovan, challenging the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court's order yesterday.
54-year-old Kovan, propagandist singer of ultra Left arts and literary outfit 'Makkal Kalai Ilakkiya Kazhagam', was arrested in Tiruchirapalli on October 30 for alleged sedition, uploading "defamatory" electronic content against Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and "disturbing" public peace.
He was remanded to judicial custody by the CMM court after his arrest. The court yesterday allowed his police custody.

The allegedly defamatory content in the form of videos were uploaded on some Tamil websites and also went viral in messaging mediums like Whatsapp.
The content, though centred over the liquor vending policy of Tamil Nadu government, is considered to have direct references to Jayalalithaa in a bad light.