Ponmudy derogatory speech: HC warns of CBI probe if TN Police doesn’t act

The Madras High Court on Friday (July 4) issued a stern warning to the Tamil Nadu Police, stating it would order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe if they fail to act on complaints against former Minister K. Ponmudy for his alleged derogatory remarks targeting Vaishnavites, Saivites, and women.

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The court has also issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) and the Chennai Commissioner of Police, seeking explanations for the delay in action.

The court’s remarks come in response to a speech delivered by Ponmudy on April 8 at a meeting organised by the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) in Chennai, which sparked widespread controversy after video clips went viral on social media.

What earlier order said

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, who had previously taken suo motu cognisance of the issue on April 23, criticised the Tamil Nadu Police for their inaction in registering a First Information Report (FIR) against Ponmudy.

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In his earlier order, the judge described the remarks as “completely derogatory to women” and accused the former minister of deliberately inciting hatred against the two major Hindu sects, Saivism and Vaishnavism.

The court had directed the police to file an FIR, threatening contempt proceedings if they failed to comply.

112 complaints against Ponmudy

During Friday’s hearing, Advocate General P.S. Raman informed the court that the Tamil Nadu Police had received 112 complaints against Ponmudy and were investigating them. However, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of concrete action, reiterating its warning of transferring the case to the CBI if the state police continued to delay.

“The continued inaction and hesitation of the police in registering an FIR for hate speech against a minister is most distressing and unfortunate,” Justice Venkatesh had noted in a prior order on June 13.

Former minister’s defence

Ponmudy, who was serving as the Forest Minister at the time of the speech, resigned from the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on April 27, following mounting pressure and the court’s strong remarks. The former minister had claimed that his comments were made in a closed-door meeting and that a truncated video clip was circulated to create controversy. However, the court dismissed his apology, stating that the remarks, which compared sexual positions to Hindu tilak symbols, were made knowingly and carried a significant impact.

Commenting on the issue, Narayanan Thirupathi, State Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said, “The DMK’s shameful act has been clearly exposed by the honourable judge. The past four years of the DMK’s Dravidian model government have been marked by an anti-Hindu mindset, and no further proof is needed beyond this incident. In the Ajith Kumar case, the Chief Minister claimed to run an impartial government and transferred the case to the CBI. Will he now, before the court’s order, demand a CBI investigation in the case against Ponmudy to prove that he is running an impartial government?”