A court in Kerala's Vadakara on Thursday remanded DYFI leader Jithin Bhaskar to police custody until June 20 in connection with the controversial 'Kafir screenshot' case that triggered a major political row during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.

The Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court also rejected Bhaskar's bail plea after hearing arguments in the matter. The court had heard submissions on the bail application on Wednesday before passing its order on Thursday.

Bhaskar, a Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday as part of its probe into the case.

Court rejects bail plea

During the hearing, the prosecution argued that securing Bhaskar's custody was crucial for the ongoing investigation and that granting bail at this stage could hamper efforts to uncover further details related to the case.

Appearing for the accused, advocate K M Ramdas contended that the case was politically motivated. He argued that Bhaskar had cooperated with investigators throughout the probe and had already handed over his mobile phone and other materials required for examination.

The defence further maintained that there were no valid grounds to deny bail. The court, however, rejected these arguments and granted police custody until June 20.

Arrest followed SIT probe

The arrest came during the second week of the SIT investigation launched after the newly elected Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government constituted a special team to re-examine the case.

Bhaskar is a member of the DYFI Vadakara block committee and also serves as a member of the CPM's Thuruthi local committee in Thiruvallur.

According to investigators, evidence indicates that Bhaskar circulated the controversial message to around 200 people through a broadcast message. Police have also alleged that attempts were made to destroy evidence. Officials said the district forensic division has obtained material supporting these findings.

Investigation focuses on origin of message

The controversy centres on a social media post circulated ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Vadakara. The post allegedly urged voters not to support CPM candidate K K Shailaja and referred to her as a "kafir", a term meaning non-believer.

Earlier in the investigation, the SIT found that another DYFI leader, Ribesh Ramakrishnan, had circulated the screenshot through a WhatsApp group named Vadakara Squad.

Investigators have identified Bhaskar as the administrator of the group. According to the probe, the screenshot was first shared within the group before being forwarded to several other WhatsApp groups and social media platforms.

Police believe questioning Bhaskar in custody could help trace the original source of the message and establish how it was created and disseminated. Rural district police officials had earlier indicated that identifying the source of the screenshot remains a key objective of the investigation.

Political controversy

The issue became a major flashpoint during the Vadakara Lok Sabha election campaign, with the CPM and the Congress-led UDF accusing each other of being behind the creation and circulation of the content.

The CPM alleged that UDF workers and its candidate Shafi Parambil were responsible for the post, while the UDF claimed local CPM leaders and workers had orchestrated its dissemination.

The SIT was constituted after Congress MLA Parakkal Abdulla sought a fresh investigation into the matter by writing to State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.