Writer, publisher and political commentator Badri Seshadri, who was arrested on the early of Saturday (29 July 2023) has been granted bail by the Kunnam Magistrate Court in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu.
The Judicial Magistrate Court in Kunnam dismissed the petition for police custody and granted bail to Badri Seshadri with the condition that he stays at Sri Rangam and appear before Judicial Magistrate Court at Sri Rangam until further orders.
Badri was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police regarding his comments in an interview to a YouTube channel about the Manipur issue based on a complaint given by one advocate Kaviyarasu.
“Yesterday, the Supreme Court like a big…. I don’t know what word to say. ‘If you can’t do it (contain the violence), we will get down and do it.’ We should give a gun in the hand of Chandrachud (Chief Justice of India) and ask him to go there and do what he can to restore peace. Simply, talking anything without relation. Can you (judiciary) enter into the realm of governance? What fault did you find in what is being done [by the government] there [to restore normalcy]? Two groups are fighting. It is a hilly terrain. A complex land. In that, a few murders will happen. Why did they fight? Could we have prevented the reason for the two groups fighting? It can’t be done easily.”, he can be heard telling in the interview.
These comments about the Chief Justice of India was the reason for the arrest as this clip was picked and shared by Dravidian Stockists and DMK sympathizers.
He was charged with Sections 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief).
உச்சநீதிமன்ற தலைமை நீதிபதியை இழிவுபடுத்திய பார்ப்பன பொறுக்கி பத்ரியின் எச்சைத்தனமான பேச்சு!
"பெண்களை பாலியல் வல்லுறவு செய்வார்கள்,கொலை செய்வார்கள்,இது நடக்கத்தான் செய்யும்" பாஜக அரசிடம் என்ன குறைய கண்டீங்க,வேணும்னா CJI சந்திரசூட்கிட்ட துப்பாக்கிகொடுத்து மணிப்பூருக்கு அனுப்புங்க pic.twitter.com/53FFecGr1B
— கரிகாலன் (@KariKalankiru) July 26, 2023
Many from across the ideological spectrum condemned the DMK government for arresting Badri Seshadri.
BJP Tamil Nadu President condemned the DMK government for arresting Badri Seshadri saying “This corrupt DMK government is relying only on arrests without power to address the views of the common people. Is the Tamil Nadu Police’s job only to enforce the revenge measures of the corrupt DMK government?”
Political commentator Savukku Shankar too condemned the DMK government for the arrest.
Leftist historian Ramachandra Guha wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticising the arrest of Badri Seshadri.
“I do not endorse Mr Seshadri’s political views, yet his arrest is inconsistent with the principles of natural justice. It brings discredit to your Government and to the culture and history of the Tamil people. Given this rich literary and intellectual history, Tamil Nadu should be the last state in the Indian Union to be held guilty of persecuting writers for their political views. Mr Seshadri is accused of having criticised the Supreme Court of India. In a functioning democracy, such criticisms cannot be by themselves a basis for arrest. If there is a case to be made against him, it should be made in court. A pre-emptive arrest merely on the basis of an FIR [First Information Report] appears to be an act of political vindictiveness.”, Guha said in his letter.
A few other leftists penned a softly worded letter to MK Stalin urging the release of Badri Seshadri.
The 'ஒண்ணுக்குள்ள ஒண்ணு' liberal vanguard weighs in with a letter to MK Stalin appealing for Badri Seshadri's release. They have dropped Rajaji from Guha's letter and done some extra genuflecting to Thanthai Periyar 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ZRI9xaIYu5
— Kalyan Raman کلیان راماں (@kalyanasc) August 1, 2023
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