In a significant ruling, a special court in Chennai convicted BJP Tamil Nadu Coordination Committee President H Raja in two defamation cases stemming from controversial remarks against DMK MP Kanimozhi and EVR made in 2018. The court sentenced Raja to six months imprisonment for each case and imposed fines of ₹2,000 and ₹3,000 respectively. However, in a key decision, the court suspended the sentence for one month, allowing Raja time to file an appeal in a higher court.
The cases were initiated after Raja’s remarks on social media, where he allegedly threatened to destroy the statue of Dravidian leader EV Ramasamy and made derogatory comments about DMK MP Kanimozhi. These statements sparked protests and led to complaints filed by representatives of the DMK and Congress at Erode Nagar and Karungalpalayam police stations.
Raja’s petition to quash the cases was dismissed by the Madras High Court, which directed the special court to expedite the trial. Special Court Judge G Jayavel found Raja guilty, ruling that the prosecution had proven that the contentious posts originated from Raja’s social media accounts. The court deemed the remarks inflammatory and defamatory rather than merely political.
The sentences were handed down separately for each case: six months imprisonment and a ₹2,000 fine in one case, and six months imprisonment and a ₹3,000 fine in the other. Raja’s legal team requested time to file an appeal, which the court granted, suspending the sentence for one month. Failure to appeal within this period will result in the sentence being enforced.
The incidents date back to 2018, when Raja allegedly referred to Kanimozhi as the “illegitimate child” of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, sparking outrage and protests by DMK supporters. He also allegedly posted inflammatory remarks about Periyar, referencing the demolition of Lenin’s statue in Tripura as a precedent. Although Raja later claimed that a Facebook admin uploaded the EVM post without his consent, he faced widespread backlash.
Following the court’s decision, Raja maintained his innocence, describing the judgment as politically motivated. “I will file my appeal soon. This is a political vendetta. My fight for my ideology remains steadfast,” he told reporters.
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