The Madras High Court on Friday quashed charges under the Goondas Act that were filed against Surendra Natarajan, the anchor in a video of YouTube channel Karuppar Koottam and another member called Sentil Vasan. The group had been booked for allegedly making derogatory comments against Lord Murugan and ‘Kandha Sashti Kavacham,’ which is a song sung in his praise.
Surendran’s wife Kritika and Senthil Vasan had moved the Madras High Court seeking that the Goondas Act be repealed. Kritika stated that her husband’s arrest amounts to a violation of his freedom of expression. She has also stated that slapping Goondas Act against her husband was politically motivated and is “against natural justice.” The two petitions also argued that the two men were jailed for fighting superstition and spreading education and awareness and this is against their freedom of speech.
Though the Crime Branch argued that there was no rule that Goondas Act cannot be invoked for a single crime, the High Court rejected this argument.
The Central Crime Branch had last year in July registered a case under Section 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), Section 153 (A)(1)(a) ( Promoting enmity between different groups), Section 295(P) (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) beside Section 505 (1)(b) and Section 505(2) (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The YouTube channel video had become highly controversial in Tamil Nadu after the BJP made a big hue and cry about it. The BJP had accused the DMK and other Dravidian parties of encouraging ‘anti-Hindu sentiment’. With the chorus to get these men arrested growing louder, the Tamil Nadu police stepped in and arrested the group. The police went a step further and used the stringent Goondas Act against the group.