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The Madras High Court on Tuesday, July 8, came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu police for closing all 124 complaints registered against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and former minister K Ponmudy. The complaints were regarding his alleged hate speech against Saivites, Vaishnavites and women in general.
The court, while hearing a suo motu case against Ponmudy, observed that politicians in power should not act like kings and queens. This observation was made by Justice P Velmurugan while responding to Advocate General (AG) PS Raman, who submitted that the complaints against the former DMK minister were closed after a preliminary investigation under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Justice Velmurugan also questioned where the police got the power to close the complaints based on a preliminary inquiry. “If you think you have the right to close the complaints, then the court has the right to proceed on them,” he observed.
The judge observed that it is not the role of the police to deliver judgements on complaints. But to gather evidence, examine it thoroughly, register a case, and file a chargesheet accordingly.
Expressing shock over the nature of a political speech, Justice Velmurugan said Justice N Anand Venkatesh had rightly taken suo motu cognisance, as politicians these days appeared to be increasingly breaching limits in their public speeches.
“They must realise we live in a democracy. Merely having access to a microphone does not give them the right to say anything they please. They must show respect to others—they too are citizens,” the judge remarked, addressing the AG.
The controversial speech was delivered by then-Forest Minister Ponmudy during a meeting organised by the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) in Chennai on April 8, 2025. The remarks sparked widespread outrage, drawing criticism even from within the DMK, with deputy general secretary Kanimozhi publicly condemning the comments.
Following the backlash, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin first removed Ponmudy from his party position and later dropped him from the Cabinet on April 27.