Director Pa Ranjith was asked by the Kumbakonam High Court to appear at the Thiruppanandal police station for the next three days to attest his signature in relation to the case booked against him for his remark on Raja Raja Chozhan.
He was at the Kumbakonam court this morning. According to Thanthi TV, he has to appear for the next two days to complete formalities. While the anticipatory bail plea filed by him was granted by the Madras High Court last month, the case booked by the Thiruppanandal police is pending in court.
கும்பகோணம் நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஆஜரான இயக்குனர் ரஞ்சித் நாளை முதல் 3 நாட்களுக்கு திருப்பனந்தாள் காவல் நிலையத்தில் கையெழுத்திட கும்பகோணம் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவு.#PaRanjith pic.twitter.com/KhaZKqvxKS
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) July 23, 2019
On June 11, a case was booked against him on grounds of promoting enmity in response to a complaint by Ka Bala, former Thanjavur district secretary of the Hindu Makkal Katchi. Members of HMK and other Hindu organisations also staged demonstrations demanding Ranjith’s immediate arrest and were later held for agitating.
Ranjith applied for an anticipatory bail plea soon after he was booked by the police, and said in the Madras High Court that his speech was based on published research and did not intend to create enmity. The court granted him bail on June 25 on condition that he will not make controversial statements hereafter, granting the lower courts the right to revoke his bail if he did.
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A day before this, the Madurai bench of the Madras HC directed the Thiruppanandal police to file a counter to Ranjith’s petition asking to quash the FIR against him. His counsel argued that there has been no law and order situation since his speech, and cited his right to freedom of speech. The judge observed that freedom of speech came with limitations and asked the Thiruppanandal police to file a response with documentary evidence as a counter to Ranjith’s petition. This case is yet to be heard.
Ranjith made the speech at an event organised by the Blue Tigers Party (Neela Puligal Iyakkam) to commemorate the death anniversary of its founder Umar Farooq at Thiruppanandal near Kumbakonam on June 5.