The Madras High Court on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, quashed a criminal case booked by the Dindigul police against T.N. Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy, his son I.P. Senthilkumar and a few others in December 2019, for having protested against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh agreed with the petitioner’s counsel A. Saravanan that there was no point in keeping this criminal case alone pending when the State government had, in 2019, issued a Government Order withdrawing over 5,000 cases booked against anti-CAA protesters.
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Proceedings against former Minister ‘Sellur’ K. Raju stayed
The judge, who holds the portfolio for MP/MLA cases, also stayed all further proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed by the State against former Minister ‘Sellur’ K. Raju of the AIADMK for having allegedly made defamatory statements against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during a protest in Madurai on May 29, 2023.
The interim stay was granted after the petitioner’s counsel M. Mohamed Riyaz, contended that the statements made by the former Minister during the protest organised by the Opposition party must be construed as a fair criticism of the ruling party and not as one that amounts to criminal defamation.
