YouTuber Santosh Pandit taken into custody over defamatory video targeting minister

Pune police seized YouTuber Santosh Pandit from his residence in the early hours of Thursday following a grievance that his online video disparaged Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil and a female corporator. The clip, posted the previous Thursday, showed Patil's photograph and featured what police described as obscene remarks about civic issues in Pune's Kothrud area. The complaint was lodged by corporator Sunil Pande, identified as a close associate of the minister.

Pandit has been booked under Sections 75(1)(iv), 75(3), 356(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. He had earlier received a notice to cooperate with investigators. The case is being handled by Police Inspector Anil Shivaji Mane, with further inquiry underway.