CHENNAI: Senior BJP leader H Raja has been sentenced to six months imprisonment in two separate cases relating to his derogatory comments against DMK MP Kanimozhi and threatening to raze down the statues of rationalist leader Periyar (EV Ramasamy).
Additional special court for cases relating to MP/MLAs G Jayavel pronounced the orders convicting and sentencing him in the cases registered by the Erode district police based on complaints lodged by DMK and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) following his derogatory comments made in against Periyar and Kanimozhi in 2018 through his Twitter handle.
The judge sentenced him to six months imprisonment and Rs. 2000 fine after he was found guilty of making derogatory comments against Kanimozhi while another term of six months and Rs. 3000 fine was handed over in connection with his threat to pull down Periyar statues.
However, the judge suspended the sentence for thirty days, as sought by Raja’s counsel, for filing appeal against the conviction and sentence.
Raja’s attempts to get the FIRs quashed by the High Court went futile twice. In 2023, Justice N Anand Venkatesh refused to quash the FIRs stating that the BJP leader has got the ‘proclivity’ to make unsavoury comments which lands him in trouble.
Again, he approached the High Court this year. Justice G Jayachandran, in April 2024, dismissed Raja’s petitions saying that he has to face the trial since the cases were registered on the basis of factual evidence. The judge also directed the MP/MLA court to dispose of the matters within three months. Subsequently, the trial was conducted in an expeditious manner.