Derogatory remarks against PM, Shah: Cases regd against BJP leaders, Nellai Kannan

The Chennai City today registered cases against senior BJP leaders and more than 300 party workers for staging a sit-in dharna in front of the Gandhi Statue at Marina without prior police permission, even as Congress leader Nellai Kannan was remanded in judicial custody for his hate speech against PM.

Cases were registered against BJP National Secretary H Raja, Rajya Sabha MP L Ganesan, Ex-Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, C P Radhakrishnan and others under Secs 143 (Punishment for Unlawful Assembly), 145 (Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse), and 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) of IPC, police said.

The BJP leaders yesterday staged the dharna demanding the immediate arrest of Congress leader and Tamil writer Nellai Kannan for instigating the Muslims to 'finish off' Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for enacting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), at a meeting organised by SDPI at Melapalayam in Tirunelveli district on Sunday.

Kannan was later arrested at Perambalur last night and produced before a court in Tirunelveli today, which remanded him in judicial custody till January 13.

On a complaint from the BJP, police have registered cases against Kannan under three Secs of IPC, including 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes).

Today, police slapped two more cases against him under Sec 153(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 506(1) (Punishment for criminal intimidation).