Arrest/detention/charges: Arrest/detention under other laws
Andrew Sam Raja Pandian, founder of a portal called SimpliCity was arrested in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu for filing news reports related to COVID-19. He was arrested under Sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), and 505(i) (statement conducing public mischief) of the IPC and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act. Before Pandian was arrested, the city police had detained the journalist and the photographer who had reported the stories, Jerald Aruldas and M Balaji respectively, for nine hours.