CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko (72) was granted bail by the IV Additional Sessions Judge on Wednesday. When the bail application came up in the morning, IV Additional Judge Purushothaman said Vaiko was being granted bail on his own bond without any other condition.
Vaiko had surrendered before the XIV Metropolitan Magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody on April 3 last for offences under sections 124 (A) (sedition) and 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) IPC.
The charge against him was that he made a speech at a book release function at Rani Seethai Hall at Thousand lights on July 15, 2009, which amounted to sedition. The FIR was registered on December 9, 2009.
In his bail application, Vaiko submitted that he had not committed any offence punishable under any law because his speech was well within the fundamental right of freedom of speech guaranteed under Article 19(1) of the Constitution.
Originally, since the passport authority refused to clear his application for travel abroad citing the pendency of the criminal case, he surrendered before the XIV Metropolitan Magistrate on April 3 last.
The Magistrate accepted his surrender and offered him bail on his executing a personal bond for `1,000.
But he refused to come out on bail by executing the bond and the Magistrate, left with no other choice, remanded him to judicial custody till June 2.