Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday granted director Pa Ranjith anticipatory bail in the case relating to his 'provocative' speech against Raja Raja Chozhan. Justice P Rajamanickam said there was no need to investigate the film director under police custody.
The judge, however, laid the condition that Ranjith should refrain from making controversial statements stoking public anger and disharmony, while making it clear that if he persisted with such conduct, a case to cancel his bail could be pursued in the magistrate court.
Counsel for Ranjith argued during the first hearing of the case after the director filed his anticipatory bail plea on June 12, saying that the speech was based on research from published books and it was certainly not aimed at creating disharmony between communities.
Earlier on June 11, the Thiruppanandal police had registered a case against Ranjith on a complaint from Ka Bala, former Thanjavur district secretary of the Hindu Makkal Katchi. In his submission before the court on Tuesday, Ranjith's counsel argued that there was no breach of law and order following the Raja Raja Chozhan speech. Besides, the police filed the case only six days later, on June 11, he said, while pleading for the quashing of the case. He also cited freedom of speech.
Justice Barathidasan then pointed out that freedom of speech had its limits and asked for proof that Raja Raja Chozhan had taken away lands from Dalits, as alleged by Ranjith in his speech. The judge also directed the Thiruppanandhal police to file a response petition with documentary evidence by the next hearing. Participating at a rally by the Blue Tigers Party (Neela Puligal Iyakkam) at Thiruppanandal near Kumbakonam on June 5, Ranjith had lambasted Raja Raja Chozan, saying that the celebrated emperor had taken away land from the poor Dalits. And now in his bail petition before the high court, he has claimed he only spoke truth relating to the king, besides discussing how to remove casteism and the plight of landless poor.
