In a recent development, Badri Seshadri, publisher of several quality books through the publishing house ‘Kizhakku Pathippagam’ wrote to The Home Secretary of The Government of Tamil Nadu, The Director General of Police, Chennai, The Superintendent of Police, Perambalur, The Inspector of Police, Kunnam about the legality of his arrest. The details of the letter, accessed by The Commune, are summarised below.
The letter challenges the legality and validity of his arrest on 29 July 2023 based on a complaint filed by an advocate alleging that he had mocked and insulted the Chief Justice of India and instigated communal violence in Manipur in a YouTube interview. It further claims that his arrest was politically motivated, malicious, and violative of his fundamental rights, the Supreme Court’s guidelines, and the due process of law. He also alleges that he was harassed, detained, and denied access to his lawyer and the grounds of arrest.
The letter demands that the State of Tamil Nadu furnish the copy of the enquiry report about the circumstances leading to his arrest, pay him a compensation of ₹1,00,00,000/- for the damages and suffering he endured, and take criminal law action against the responsible and delinquent officials. He also calls upon the Director General of Police to implement the directions of the Supreme Court regarding the arrest of people. He warns that he will take legal action if his demands are not met within 15 days.
Even before his arrest, Dravidianists were training their guns on Badri Seshadri for some time. In Oct 2022, in a controversial tweet, he said that CN Annadurai, the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK founder, was an idiot for allegedly saying that Hindi had nothing to learn from. Seshadri’s tweet provoked angry reactions from DMK supporters and Dravidian activists, who harassed him online and demanded his removal from the advisory committee of the Tamil Virtual Academy. A fringe Dravidian leader, Suba Veerapandian, made a hate speech against Brahmins and threatened to cut their sacred threads (poonool) if they continued to insult Annadurai. He also claimed that he had influenced the DMK government to sack Seshadri from the advisory committee, which eventually happened.
In July 2023, he was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police for his comments on the Manipur issue and the Chief Justice of India in a YouTube interview. He was charged with sections 153, 153 A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code, based on a complaint given by an advocate named Kaviyarasu. It is presumed that the arrest was influenced by the DMK government, which is opposed to his views and has targeted him before for his tweet about the DMK founder CN Annadurai.
In August 2023, he was granted bail by the Kunnam Magistrate Court with some conditions.
In September 2023, the Madras High Court dismissed the case filed against writer and commentator Badri Seshadri for his remarks on the Manipur issue and the Chief Justice of India in a YouTube interview.
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