The Madras High Court on Friday (February 6) quashed the Goondas Act slapped against arrested members of the Karuppar Koottam – Surendran and Senthilvasan.
Karuppar Koottam was a YouTube channel run by a group of ‘Periyarists’, Communist ideologues and DMK sympathizers. They had indulged in targeted attacks against Hindus posting videos abusing Hindu Gods, Hindus and Brahmins for a long time under the garb of ‘rationalism’.
On July 15, 2020 one Senthilvasan Muthusamy was arrested by the Central Crime Branch after cases were registered from different quarters for their vile and abusive video on Hindu God Murugan.
Nathikan alias Surendar Natarajan of Karuppar Koottam had surrendered at the Ariyankuppam police station in Puducherry on July 16 and was charged under the Goondas Act.
Krithika, the wife of Nathikan, and Senthilvasan had filed a petition seeking that the Goondas Act be repealed. In her petition, Kritika stated that her husband’s arrest amounted to violation of his freedom of expression and ‘against the principles of natural justice’. She had also stated that slapping Goondas Act against her husband was politically motivated. She also argued that the both her husband and Senthil were ‘fighting superstition’ and spreading ‘education’ and ‘awareness’
The Crime Branch which had argued that there are no provisions in the Goondas Act that states that it can be slapped only where the accused is booked under more than one case, the court rejected this argument. The bench comprising Justices BN Prakash and V Sivagnanam, which ruled in the case on Friday, dismissed the petition on the ground that there was a delay in issuing the arrest warrant.
It is alleged that Karuppar Koottam enjoyed the patronage of DMK. Evidences which emerged during the controversy clearly establishes the close relationship shared by Karuppar Koottam and the DMK. Surendar Natarajan, the host of the show ‘Aabasa Puranam’ had campaigned for the DMK in the last General Elections in 2019. Senthilvasan had gone on a luncheon with DMK IT wing head and Madurai Central MLA Palanivel Thiagarajan.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.