The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has strongly opposed the Kerala Police’s move to remove the political parody of an Ayyappa devotional song from social media accounts, chiefly those operated by Meta.
The song, which went viral during the local body election campaign, lampoons the government’s alleged involvement in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Mr. Satheesan said the Kerala Government’s request to META to take down the song, which seeks to highlight the criminality, nepotism, and political involvement in the crime, has an authoritarian bent.
Mr. Satheesan said that to date, no court of law has proscribed the parody song or ordered its removal from social media platforms. Moreover, the satirical content woven into the song did not violate Meta’s Community Standards.
Mr. Satheesan said the government’s infringement on artistic freedom and political dissidence clearly violated constitutional protection for the right to freedom of speech and expression.
He said the Supreme Court of India has consistently held that the State has no right to curtail freedom of speech and expression unless there is a clear and legally established violation of the law.
The dispute erupted on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) after the Pathanamthitta-based Thiruvabharana Patha Samrakshana Samathi, an organisation closely associated with the tradition of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, sought a criminal investigation into what it described as a wilful and conspiratorial trespass on faith.
The matter took a sharp political turn when the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] endorsed Samathi’s complaint.
CPI(M)’s Pathanamthitta district secretary, Raju Abraham, accused the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of using the song to polarise communities on religious lines at the polling booth. The CPI(M) also vowed to file a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the UDF, accusing the Opposition of denigrating religious symbols for political ends on the campaign trail.
Subsequently, the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police indicted the creators and broadcasters of the song on charges of creating enmity among different groups of people and outraging religious symbols. They had yet to name any person as an accused. The police also approached META to remove the song from its websites and social media platforms.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
