NEW DELHI, June 21 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim anticipatory bail to Keralabased journalist TP Nandakumar in a high-profile defamation case. The vacation bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Prasanna B Varale issued notice on his plea while directing that if arrested, he must be released on regular bail by the trial court.

The case centers around a video uploaded on Nandakumar's channel "Crime Online", which allegedly contained defamatory and sexually derogatory remarks against a prominent woman politician. The prosecution claims the video was designed to intimidate the victim and damage her reputation.

Section 75(1)(iv) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (insulting a woman's modesty)

Section 79 (intimidation and repu...