The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Vadakara, is expected to deliver its order on Friday on a petition filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader Jithin Bhaskar in the alleged ‘kafir screenshot’ case.

The prosecution argued that after being released on bail, the accused had violated the conditions of his bail by posting messages on Facebook that allegedly challenged the investigating team and attempted to create public unrest. It also held him responsible for the interference with the course of investigation.

Meanwhile, the Kozhikode sessions court is also expected to pronounce its order on Friday on the anticipatory bail plea filed by another DYFI leader, Ribesh Ramakrishnan, in connection with the case.

The case, which triggered widespread political controversy in Kerala during the Vadakara Lok Sabha election campaign, pertains to the circulation of a screenshot portraying Congress candidate Shafi Parambil as a devout Muslim and CPI(M) candidate K.K. Shailaja as a ‘kafir’ (non-believer), while falsely attributing the post to Muslim Youth League worker Mohammed Kasim.

According to the prosecution, Mr. Bhaskar, a former member of the DYFI Vadakara Block Committee and the CPI(M) Thuruthi local committee, allegedly sent the controversial screenshot to around 200 recipients using WhatsApp’s broadcast feature and attempted to destroy all related digital evidence. The prosecution submitted that the district forensic division had recovered evidence supporting the allegations.

The SIT had earlier found that Mr. Ramakrishnan also had circulated the screenshot through a WhatsApp group named ‘Vadakara Squad’. The probe found that the screenshot was subsequently forwarded to several other WhatsApp groups.

Published - July 17, 2026 04:37 am IST