Kerala Court Grants Bail to RSS Ideologue Mohandas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday granted bail to RSS ideologue and political commentator T.G. Mohandas, who was arrested for making derogatory remarks about students protesting in Delhi’S Jantar Mantar, with certain conditions.

According to the remand report, police said Mohandas confessed to the crime during interrogation and that they seized digital evidence during a search at his home in Mattancherry on Sunday. The police opposed his bail, arguing he might destroy evidence, and noted that the search is still underway to trace the whereabouts of the YouTube channel administrator.

The court directed Mohandas to cooperate with the probe and also appear before the investigating officials whenever summoned.

In his bail plea, Mohandas mentioned he had merely exercised his fundamental right to freedom of expression. The plea claimed that the allegations in the FIR were entirely baseless and politically motivated, made against him due to his close association with the RSS and the BJP. It also stated that the 71-year-old Mohandas had suffered a stroke and was dealing with serious health issues, including psoriasis and early Parkinson's disease.

Mohandas's lawyer argued that the police had acted in complete violation of the rule of law and asked the court to take his poor health condition into account. In his petition, the RSS ideologue expressed willingness to comply with any conditions the court might set for granting bail. The court rejected the prosecution’s request for custody, which they claimed was necessary to gather evidence and accused Mohandas of being uncooperative. His lawyer countered that these claims were baseless, pointing out that the police had already seized his phone and other belongings, and argued that questioning him in custody without a proper application was not legally valid.

Police have booked Mohandas, identified as a Sangh Parivar supporter, on multiple charges: inciting a riot (BNS 192), promoting enmity between groups (BNS 353(1)(b)), insulting womanhood (BNS 79), and disrupting public order (KP Act 120(o)). While most of these offences carry a maximum sentence of three years, the non-bailable nature of BNS 353(1)(b) makes the court’s decision especially significant.

Mohandas was detained in Mattancherry, Kochi on Sunday, after a search at his home, then brought to Thiruvananthapuram, where his arrest was formally recorded. Earlier, Cyber Police had booked him for allegedly making derogatory and violent remarks against the student protesters, including offensive comments about women and threats to shoot demonstrators. The FIR cited multiple laws, and the remarks, made in videos on his YouTube channel, sparked widespread outrage and condemnation.

The RSS ideologue said that if he were in charge of the Jantar Mantar area, he would enforce a curfew within a four-kilometre radius of the protest site and instruct authorities to open fire after warning protesters to disperse three times. Mohandas went on to say that several protesters should be killed or maimed, with their bodies sent to hospitals.

The case was filed after various organisations, including the Students Federation of India (SFI) lodged a complaint with Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar.

The SFI, in its complaint, claimed that Mohandas’ comments went beyond political opinion, accusing them of inciting violence, devaluing human life, spreading public fear, and threatening the democratic right to peaceful protest. Mohandas had made offensive remarks about women, stating that “secular women enjoy being gang raped” and that protesters “like rape,” which triggered widespread outrage nationwide. In response, the SFI, AISF, and DYFI organised protests demanding strict action against him. The RSS distanced itself from his statements, labelling them as his personal views.

His comments about women protesters had been widely criticised as misogynistic and dangerous. All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) stated that his words reflected the “Manuvadi” mindset of the RSS ideologue.