KARUR: Environment activist R S Mugilan, who has staged several protests including against the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi and the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam, was acquitted of sedition charges by the chief judicial magistrate court on Friday.
The case relates to a speech Mugilan made in April 2017 at a public meeting in Seethapatti Colony in Aravakurichi. In December 2017, a case was booked and Mugilan was arrested under Sections 124(A), 153(A)(1), and 505(1)(b) of IPC. He was granted bail in September 2018.
During the final hearing on Friday, the judge found no evidence against Mugilan and acquitted him of all charges. Speaking to reporters, Mugilan said, “I was charged falsely for speaking about illegal sand mining in the Cauvery river, and the importance of caste and religious harmony. I am glad justice has been served.”
Mugilan has faced several cases. In 2019, he was arrested based on a sexual assault complaint lodged by a 32-year-old woman in Karur. He was granted bail by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in November 2019.