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PoliticsKerala court grants bail to DYFI leader Jithin Bhaskaran in 'kafir' screenshot case
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The Kozhikode Principal Sessions Court granted bail to DYFI leader Jithin Bhaskaran on July 3, 2026, in the 'kafir' screenshot case that emerged during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Vadakara, Kerala. Bhaskaran, arrested on June 16 and in judicial custody, had his bail petition approved by Principal Sessions Judge V.S. Bindu Kumar after two rounds of arguments. The case involves the circulation of a screenshot falsely attributing a post to Muslim Youth League worker Mohammed Kasim, which portrayed Congress candidate Shafi Parambil as a 'devout Muslim' and CPI(M) candidate K.K. Shailaja as a 'kafir' (non-believer). The prosecution alleged Bhaskaran sent the screenshot to approximately 200 recipients via WhatsApp broadcast and attempted to destroy digital evidence, with forensic evidence recovered. The special investigation team (SIT) previously dropped Mohammed Kasim from the accused list. Bhaskaran contended the case was a political conspiracy and pledged cooperation with the investigation.
Source report
Published - July 03, 2026 07:42 pm IST | Kozhikode
The Hindu Bureau
The Kozhikode Principal Sessions Court on Friday (July 3, 2026) granted bail to Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader Jithin Bhaskaran, who was arrested in connection with the controversial ‘kafir’ screenshot case that surfaced during the last Lok Sabha election campaign in Vadakara.
Principal Sessions Judge V.S. Bindu Kumar allowed the bail plea after reserving the order following two rounds of arguments. Mr. Bhaskaran has been in judicial custody since June 16 following his arrest in the case.
He approached the Sessions Court after the Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court-I, Vadakara, rejected his earlier bail petition. The court had accepted the prosecution’s argument that granting him bail would affect the progress of the investigation.
Prosecution’s Allegations
According to the prosecution:
- Mr. Bhaskaran, a former member of the DYFI Vadakara Block Committee and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Thuruthi local committee, allegedly sent the controversial screenshot to around 200 recipients using WhatsApp’s broadcast feature.
- He attempted to destroy all related digital evidence.
- The district forensic division had recovered evidence to support these allegations.
Investigation Findings
The special investigation team (SIT) had earlier found that:
- Another DYFI leader, Ribesh Ramakrishnan, had circulated the screenshot through a WhatsApp group named ‘Vadakara Squad’.
- Mr. Bhaskaran was the group’s administrator.
- The screenshot had subsequently been forwarded to several other WhatsApp groups.
Background of the Case
The case, which triggered widespread political controversy in Kerala during the Vadakara Lok Sabha election campaign, relates to the circulation of a screenshot portraying:
- Congress candidate Shafi Parambil as a “devout Muslim”
- CPI(M) candidate K.K. Shailaja as a “kafir” (non-believer)
The post was falsely attributed to Muslim Youth League worker Mohammed Kasim.
The SIT recently dropped Mohammed Kasim from the list of accused. During the hearing of the bail plea, Mr. Bhaskaran informed the court that he would cooperate with the probe and contended that the case was the result of a planned political conspiracy.
Published - July 03, 2026 07:42 pm IST
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