CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has asked senior AIADMK leader and Rajya Sabha Member CVe Shanmugam to refrain from making ‘hate speech’ against Chief Minister MK Stalin while addressing public forum even though he is entitled to level criticism on public issues owing to freedom of speech and expression as enshrined in the Constitution.
Noting that he had held posts of an MLA and a minister for 10 years and is currently an MP, Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan, in a recent order, said Shanmugam should show responsibility while criticising the chief minister.
He explained, “The petitioner (Shanmugam) has the right of freedom of speech and expression and hold public meetings under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution with some restrictions. He should not have delivered hate speech against the CM and the state government.”
“The petitioner shall have to avoid hate speech while addressing public meetings,” the judge said. However, Justice Ilanthiraiyan held that free speech of the citizens of the country cannot be stifled by implicating them in criminal cases unless such speech has the tendency to affect the public order.
The matter pertains the defamation case filed by the public prosecutor at Villupuram district court against Shanmugam for his derogatory comments at a demonstration on July 20, 2023 at Villupuram to condemn the state government for its alleged failure to check rising prices of essential commodities.
Court refuses to bin FIR against Periyar univ V-C
Chennai: The Madras HC has refused to quash an FIR registered against the Periyar University vice chancellor R Jaganathan on the alleged misappropriation of funds and caste abuse against a leader of the university employees union.
The petition filed by Jagannathan praying for quashing the FIR, registered by the Karuppur police in Salem district on December 26, 2023 for the offences that included criminal conspiracy, cheating and caste abuse under various sections of IPC was dismissed by Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan on Friday.
A similar petition filed by the registrar (in-charge) K Thangavel was also dismissed by the court. The main charge was that the V-C had floated a private entity-Periyar University Technology Entrepreneurship Research (PUTER) Foundation, without obtaining appropriate permission from the government, with an intention to misappropriate the university funds.