Kerala High Court grants interim protection from arrest to Akhil Marar for comments on Indo-Pak conflict

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to film director and Bigg Boss Malayalam winner Akhil Marar who was recently booked for his comments on the Indo-Pak conflict. [Akhil Raj v State of Kerala].Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas ordered that Marar not be arrested until his anticipatory bail petition is posted next on Wednesday, May 28. The Court also directed the prosecution to obtain necessary instructions in the matter..Marar was booked by Kottarakkara Police in connection with a Facebook Live he posted on May 11, 2025, in which he made certain comments regarding the Indo-Pak conflict. The first information report against Marar alleged that he falsely stated in the video that India had armed Baloch militants and killed civilians in Pakistan. The FIR also stated that Marar said that the Indian Army was a slave to another country.In the video, Marar also purpotedly compared the foreign policies of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Marar was, therefore, booked for having committed the offence punishable under Section 152 (act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita..In his petition seeking anticipatory bail from the High Court, Marar asserted that he never made any remarks in his video affecting the integrity or sovereignty of the nation and that the video was only a political analysis.He also claimed that the controversial video was posted in response to a mocking post by journalist Anil K Nambiar of Janam TV.Marar explained that the video was streamed live, and once he realised that some of his words could be taken out of context and misused by political opponents, he deleted it himself.However, because it was a live stream, the video remained visible on his Facebook feed for a day before it was completely removed."The words quoted were based on publicly available sources, and the video was deleted soon after as I realised some comments could be misused by political opponents", Marar's plea stated. To clarify the issue and address the confusion, he posted a follow-up message on Facebook explaining his statements, Marar added.Marar also alleged that BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) and RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) workers have been circulating and misrepresenting parts of the video to build a false narrative against him.Marar emphasised that he had earlier praised India's military operations during the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. One such post, titled "Operation Sindoor", had lauded the Indian armed forces.Marar also contended that Section 152 BNS which is meant to protect national integrity has been misused in this case.He also pointed out that he frequently criticises religious extremism and corruption across all parties and had consistently expressed independent views through his social media channels. Marar alleged that this has made him a target for the BJP and CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)) cyber wings. .During the hearing, Marar's counsel submitted that the speech made during the live video was well within the bounds of freedom of speech expression protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.The Court ultimately directed the prosecution to get instructions on the matter and will hear it next on May 28. .The petitioner, Akhil Marar, was represented by advocates Bimala Baby, Jasmine Ligy, Magi Pavithran, and Roshan Shaji.