Don’t precipitate action against S Ve Shekhar, State police told

Justice AD Jagdish Chandira, before whom the plea moved by Shekher came up, witnessed tense moments since while the case was in progress, he was parallelly grilled by the CCB’s office. His counsel claimed that despite Shekher being 70 years of age he had presented himself for inquiry, though there is an advisory asking senior citizens to stay indoors due to pandemic.

While the court obtained information on completion of the probe, after his counsel expressed apprehension that Shekher could be arrested after the inquiry on Friday, the judge directed the police to inform the court before arresting him.

The case relates to Shekher’s video on social media claiming that the colours of the national flag were representative of different religions and wanted to know from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami as to whether saffron was a disgrace in relation to his hoisting of the national flag.

State Public Prosecutor A Natarajan had submitted that the CM had condemned only the act of putting a saffron cloth on the statue of former Chief Minister MGR. Whereas Shekher had given a different meaning to the Tricolour as if saffron denotes Hindus, white Christians and Green Muslims contrary to the Constitutional meaning of saffron denoting strength and courage. He further noted that insulting the National flag is a criminal act.

S Ve Shekher for quizzed for about four hours by the CCB after he appeared before it for an inquiry in connection with a case registered against him regarding his YouTube video which was ‘disrespectful of the national flag’. He has been asked to reappear for an inquiry again on Friday, said sources. Shekher had been booked under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.