Shajan Skariah, the proprietor and editor of the YouTube news channel Marunadan Malayali based in Kerala, was arrested late Monday night following a defamation complaint filed by an Indian expat woman residing in Dubai.

This incident has attracted considerable media attention as it highlights the complexities of legal accountability in the digital media landscape.

The arrest took place at Skariah's residence in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

According to various reports, he is accused of disseminating videos that allegedly defamed the complainant, who is employed by a bank in Dubai.

The controversial videos purportedly linked the woman to fraudulent activities and embezzlement cases involving another Indian expatriate, who has already been taken into custody.

It has been reported that the woman had previously appeared in promotional videos for a medical clinic run by the same expatriate, in which she was identified as the human resources representative.

The legal proceedings initiated by the complainant involved references to Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses offences related to insulting a woman's modesty, as well as Section 120 of the IT Act concerning conspiracy to commit an offence.

Despite these serious allegations, Skariah was granted bail in the early hours of Tuesday.

In the wake of his arrest, Skariah publicly expressed concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding his detention.

He suggested that the actions of the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police were retaliatory, claiming that they were motivated by his channel's critical coverage of the Kerala state government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.