Overview
- Maridhas was detained at his Surya Nagar home in Madurai and taken to Chennai for questioning by a special team from the Chennai City Police Cyber Crime Wing on Monday.
- Police say the case was registered suo motu and that he has been booked under Sections 79 and 352(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Information Technology Act, with some reports citing additional sections as the probe continues.
- Officers searched electronic devices at his residence and deployed heavy security during the operation, and officials have said full details of the allegations will be released as the investigation proceeds.
- The detention prompted immediate political backlash from the BJP and regional leaders who demanded his release and called the action an attack on dissent, while authorities maintain they acted over allegedly obscene and defamatory material.
- Maridhas is a prominent, controversial political commentator who has faced prior police scrutiny, and legal experts say the use of BNS and IT Act provisions highlights how online speech cases are increasingly handled through cybercrime and defamation laws; observers will watch for formal charges and the next court appearance.