CHENNAI: DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday criticised AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, without naming him directly, for his ‘sir’ remark on the day the Chennai mahila court pronounced the punishment for A Gnanasekaran, the sole accused in the Anna University sexual assault case.
Stalin wrote on X platform, “The mahila court appreciated the police for acting exceptionally in the case. This has shattered the attempts of those with small minds who sought political gains even from the injustice faced by a young woman.”
Stalin also welcomed the court’s verdict, imposing life imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years without remission. He emphasised that the government acted swiftly by completing the trial within just five months and ensuring that the perpetrator was duly punished.
Talking to reporters at DMK headquarters, party’s organising secretary RS Bharathi, said, “Palaniswami’s ‘Who is the sir’ remark is equivalent to contempt of court. If Palaniswami knows who the ‘sir’ is, he should have revealed the name. If he is afraid of legal consequences for naming the person in public, he could have disclosed it in the Assembly. Otherwise, his act amounts to suppression of facts, which is an offence.”
Minister for Law and Natural Resources S Regupathy said, “Palaniswami is the only ‘sir’ who is inventing imaginary ‘sirs’ for the sake of cheap politics.” He also accused the AIDAMK general secretary of engaging in full-time political drama based on falsehoods.
Regupathy also blamed Palaniswami for creating a sense of fear among women students through such baseless allegations and discouraging them from pursuing higher education.