Plea in Madras HC Seeks Legal Action Against Rajinikanth over His Remarks Against Periyar

Chennai: A Dravidian outfit on Tuesday filed a plea in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the police to register a case against actor-politician Rajinikanth over his earlier statement on social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, who is considered father of the Dravidian movement.

The actor, in his address at the 50th anniversary-cum-readers' connect event of Tamil magazine 'Thuglak' on January 14, had said, "In 1971, at Salem, Periyar took out a rally in which undressed images of Lord Sri Ramachandramoorthy and Sita — with a garland of sandal —featured and no news outlet published it."

On Tuesday, Rajinikanth said whatever he said was true and he stands by his statement. He also refused to apologise for his comments and held out copies of the news clippings related to his scathing attack on Ramasamy.

The plea filed on Tuesday by the secretary of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) in Chennai district seeks a direction for the case to be filed at the Triplicane police station.

"The intentional and misleading fraudulent speech is targeted only with the sole intention and object to promote enmity among the people of Tamil Nadu in the name of religion and to breach the public peace and to incite violence among the people of Tamil Nadu," says the plea.

The plea accused Rajinikanth of making such comments for self-promotion and to gain political advantage, adding he is "creating tension and panic among the public by making false and fraudulent assertions about Periyar with the intention to incite violence and law and order problems".

Members of a Dravidian outfit had on Friday accused Rajinikanth of "uttering a blatant lie" about Periyar, burnt the actor’s effigies and filed a police complaint against him. Over 50 protesters were detained.

The outfit had also sent a petition to the Coimbatore police commissioner to register an FIR against the actor under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 505 (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code.

The outfit had even planned to lay siege to Rajinikanth's house if the actor doesn't apologise.