In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India intervened in a petition challenging a bail condition imposed by the High Court of Tamil Nadu. The petitioner, Felix Jerald, had been granted bail in connection with FIR No. 123 of 2024, registered under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

However, an additional condition in the bail order required him to shut down his YouTube channel.

Dissatisfied with this directive, the petitioner approached the Supreme Court, seeking relief. On September 6, 2024, a bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justice Manoj Misra, issued an interim order stating that the requirement to close the YouTube channel was unnecessary and unrelated to the bail itself.

The Court emphasized that such a condition was extraneous to the matter of bail and had no relevance to the petitioner's release. It ruled that the High Court's direction to close the YouTube channel was unwarranted. Consequently, the Supreme Court set aside this specific condition while maintaining other bail conditions. The Special Leave Petition was accordingly disposed of, with the petitioner no longer required to shut down his YouTube channel.

This ruling underscores the Supreme Court’s view that bail conditions must remain relevant and directly linked to the issues at hand, ensuring that unnecessary restrictions are not imposed on individuals seeking bail.