The police on Wednesday, 3 September 2025, submitted video evidence of former DMK minister K. Ponmudi’s speech on Saivism and Vaishnavism before the Madras High Court.
The case, relating to controversial remarks made by Ponmudi at a public event, came up for hearing before Justice N. Sathishkumar. Earlier, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh had taken up the matter after complaints were filed over Ponmudi’s comments on women and on religious traditions.
During the previous hearing, the state’s public prosecutor, P. S. Raman, informed the court that the police had closed the complaints, stating there was no basis for the charges. The judge questioned how such a conclusion had been reached and asked whether the same approach was followed in other complaints as well.
The prosecutor argued that Ponmudi’s remarks were not his own but had echoed the views of a social reformer expressed in 1972. He added that complainants could still approach the relevant criminal courts to challenge the police decision.
Following this, the judge directed the submission of the full video of Ponmudi’s speech along with the original 1972 speech for comparison. The police have now filed the video evidence, and the matter has been adjourned for further hearing.
What Ponmudi Said
In April 2025, a Ponmudi went viral on social media igniting widespread controversy and condemnation across social media platforms, with many calling out the then-minister for his offensive remarks targeting Shaivite and Vaishnavite communities. The video, which surfaced on X, captured Ponmudi making a crude analogy involving a prostitute to mock the religious practices of these Hindu sects, drawing sharp criticism for its insensitivity and vulgarity. In the video, Ponmudi recounted a supposed interaction between a man and a prostitute, where the woman asks the man if he is a Shaivite or a Vaishnavite. According to Ponmudi, the prostitute explains that Shaivite means “lying down position” (referencing the horizontal tilak worn by Shaivites) while a Vaishnavite means a “standing position” (referencing the vertical tilak worn by Vaishnavites).
(With inputs from Daily Thanthi)
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