CHENNAI: Actor and former MLA S Ve Shekhar was sentenced to one-month prison by a special city court for his derogatory social media post about women journalists in 2018. As he paid the fine of `15,000 and filed a petition saying that he would appeal the verdict at Madras High Court, the sentence has been suspended.
In 2018, Shekhar shared a social media post containing derogatory comments about women journalists.
Following a complaint with the Cyber Crime cell of the Central Crime Branch in Chennai, a case was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Cruelty to Women Act. When the issue got controversial, Shekhar apologised saying that he shared the post without reading it.
When he submitted petitions seeking to quash the case at the Madras High Court last year, Justice Anand Venkatesh dismissed the petition saying, “The apology tendered and the explanation given by him that he had forwarded the message inadvertently cannot be acted upon. On this ground, the criminal case cannot be quashed.”
On Monday, during the hearing, Chennai Special Court judge G Jayavel said that allegations in the complaint have been proved beyond doubt.
He was given a one-month sentence and a fine of Rs 15,000.