Madras HC refused to quash FIRs against H Raja

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday refused to quash a batch of FIRs filed against senior BJP leader H Raja for making derogatory and insulting comments against HR and CE officials and their families. The BJP leader is also facing derogatory and defamatory charges for his comments against former Chief minister M Karunandhi, his daughter Kanimozhi ( Thoothukudi MP) and Dravidian leader 'Periyar' EV Ramasamy.

Coming down heavily against the former BJP MLA Raja, Justice N Anand Venkatesh in his judgement referring to a famous couplet from Thirukkural said "Yaakaavaa Raayinum Naakaakka Kaavaakkaal Sokaappar Sollizhukkup Pattu (Whatever besides you leave unguarded, guard your tongue; otherwise errors of speech and the consequent misery will ensue)".

The judgement pointed out that the petitions filed by the petitioner pertains to the speech made by him in a meeting held at Dindigul in 2018, wherein he is said to have made insulting and derogatory remarks against HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) officials and demeaning the wives of those authorities. The petitioner's statement is highly defamatory, scandalous and it demeans women since he has thrown mud on the wives of the Officials working in the state department, the judgement read.

On the face of it, it is condemnable and the petitioner cannot be allowed to get away from what he has said against the officers and their family members, the judge said in his order.

The judge who heard a batch of 11 defamatory and demeaning petitions, quashed four of them. The remaining seven cases were transferred to the Special Courts for MP/MLAs set up in Srivilluputhur, Erode and Chennai. The judge also directed the special courts to complete the case at the earliest ranging from four weeks to three months.

The judge also refused to quash the FIRs against H Raja for derogatory comments against the former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and his daughter Kanimozhi in his Twitter handle. In another case where Raja was booked for his controversial post in his Twitter handle that Periyar's statue would be demolished like the Vladimir Lenin in Tripura, the HC transferred the case to be heard in special court in Chennai.