Madras HC directs police to file charge sheet against BJP’s H Raja for abusing judiciary

The judge directed the Thirumayam police in Pudukottai district to complete the investigation and file the charge sheet before the appropriate trial court within two months.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the police to file a charge sheet in two months against BJP national secretary H Raja in a case connected to his abuse of the Judiciary and police officials during a Vinayaka Chathurthi procession in Pudukottai district in September 2018.

BJP national secretary H Raja is known for his acerbic comments . (TWITTER.)

Justice Jagadish Chandra passed the order on a petition by senior counsel S Doraisamy, who is also the vice-president of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK).

The judge directed the Thirumayam police in Pudukottai district to complete the investigation and file the charge sheet before the appropriate trial court within two months.

Raja, known for his acerbic comments, which have often landed him in controversies, was caught on camera making scandalous and vulgar remarks against the High Court during a Ganesh Chathurthi procession at Thirumayam. He had made the remarks when the police prevented erection of a stage near a mosque citing a High Court injunction.

With the video of Raja abusing the Judiciary and the police with expletives going viral, the demand for action against him has gained momentum. The police filed an FIR but he was not arrested.

On October 22, Raja tendered an apology before the Bench, saying that those words were uttered in an agitated state of mind and were not intentional.

This was the first time Raja had owned up to his action though he had been at the centre of many controversies. Earlier, his Facebook post in the wake of the razing of Lenin’s statue in Tripura, advocating removal of social reformer and rationalist leader ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy’s statues dotting the landscape of Tamil Nadu, had led to a furore. Then, Raja had maintained that the post was uploaded by his admin without his consent.

However, pursuing the police case, Doraisamy moved the High Court seeking expeditious action by the police. In his petition, he charged the police with being lax in acting against Raja, since the latter was a leader of the ruling BJP at the Centre.