BENGALURU: In a major relief to Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, the Madras High Court has quashed the FIR registered against her over her comments against Tamils in connection with the Rameshwaram Café bomb blast case in Bengaluru.
Justice G Jayachandran on Thursday passed the orders while allowing her petition praying for quashing the FIR registered by the cybercrime wing of the Madurai city police, following the submission of Advocate General PS Raman that her apology tendered through an affidavit in the court was accepted by the state government.
In March, in the aftermath of the cafe blast and just before the general elections, Karandlaje had said: “They (the accused) are trained in Tamil Nadu to place bombs.” This was widely condemned as provocative against the people of Tamil Nadu, triggering outrage across the state.
A Madurai resident even filed a complaint, accusing Karandlaje of attempting to drive a wedge between Kannadigas and Tamilians.
Facing intense backlash, Karandlaje retracted her statement, issued a formal apology, and submitted an affidavit to the court expressing deep regret. She clarified that her intention was never to hurt the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu. “I have tremendous respect and regard for the people of Tamil Nadu and never meant to cause any pain with my words,” she insisted.
Speaking to The New Indian Express from Chandigarh, Karandlaje expressed relief at the court order. “I am thankful to the court for quashing the case against me,” she said.
She, however, added, “What I said about them was later proven to be true. Investigation revealed that the accused who planted the bomb had made multiple visits and attempted similar actions before. There’s evidence linking him to activities in two or three states, proving my words were, to some extent, true.”
Asked about other ongoing cases against her, Karandlaje said, “There are other cases against me, but in this particular instance, the court has granted me relief, and I am thankful.”