No coercive action should be taken in Jai Bhim case: HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday passed an interim direction restraining the police from taking coercive action against Tamil actor Suriya Sivakumar and filmmaker TJ Gnanavel in connection with a case booked against them by Velachery police ‘for hurting people belonging to a community in their movie Jai Bhim.

Justice N Sathish Kumar passed the direction on hearing the petitions filed by actor-cum-producer of Jai Bhim movie Suriya and the director Gnanavel.

The judge passed the direction after the complainant named K Santhosh, president of Rudra Vanniyar Sena filed an interlocutory application seeking to quash the petitions filed by the actor and director.

The complainants submitted that no direction should be passed in this case without hearing them. Recording the submissions, the bench passed a direction restraining the police from taking any coercive action against Suriya and Gnanavel.

The case has been adjourned for July 21.

The matter is pertaining to the complaint of Santhosh that the movie had scenes portraying his community in a bad light. Even though the Velachery police did not register a case, the complainant approached a magistrate court in the city and got directions from the court to the police to file an FIR.

Therefore, police booked Suriya and his director under Section Section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC. It is noted Jai Bhim was released on an OTT platform and critically acclaimed by the audience as the movie threw light on the prosecution and judiciary agencies' prejudice towards the marginalized tribes.