Kerala High Court grants anticipatory bail to Akhil Marar in Pahalgam attack Facebook video case

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam film director and Bigg Boss fame Akhil Marar, who is facing charges of allegedly endangering India’s sovereignty and unity through a Facebook video commenting on the Pahalgam terror attack and the Indian Army’s retaliation.

The anticipatory bail was granted by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, who observed that since the petitioner had expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation, the case warranted protection from arrest at this stage.

"Since the petitioner is willing to cooperate with the investigation, I am of the view that this is a fit case to protect the petitioner with an order of anticipatory bail," the court said in its order.

The case was registered based on a complaint filed by Aneesh Kizhakkekara, a local BJP leader in Kottarakkara, Kollam. According to the complaint, a video posted on Marar’s Facebook account on May 11 contained controversial claims: including that India had armed Baloch activists to create unrest in Pakistan, and that Indian forces killed civilians in retaliatory operations.

Marar has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.

In his bail plea, Marar argued that the invocation of Section 152 was a misuse of the law intended to silence dissent. He claimed the video was posted unintentionally and remained on his page due to a technical glitch, though he had tried to remove it immediately.

The court, however, refrained from making any observations on the applicability of Section 152 at this stage.

Marar also stressed in his petition that he has, on multiple occasions, publicly praised the Indian Army and Operation Sindoor.