Madras High Court Issues Notice To DGP And Commissioner In Suo Motu Case Against Ponmudi's Speech

The Madras High Court has issued notice to the Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police (Greater Chennai) on a suo motu case initiated by the court against former Tamil Nadu Minister Ponmudi for his recent remarks on Vaishnavism and Saivism.

Justice P Velmurugan issued notice to the officers returnable by June 25th. The suo motu case was initiated based on an order by Justice Anand Venkatesh on April 23, 2025. The judge had directed the Registry to initiate suo motu writ proceedings against the Minister and place the matter before the Chief Justice for further action. Following this, the matter was posted before Justice P Velmurugan. 

Justice Venkatesh had opined that the speech made by the Minister prima facie appeared to be hate speech. The court also said that the statements made by the Minister were derogatory to women and wounded the religious feelings of Vaishnavites and Saivites- the two main sects of Hinduism in the State.

The court also criticised the state police for remaining"motionless" and not taking any action against the Minister even after the previous order of the court. The court said that it was its duty to ensure that the State police follow the orders of the Supreme Court regarding hate speech. The court also underlined that there would be zero tolerance for hate speech.

The judge had also said that a message should be sent so that in the future, people would not venture to make such spurious statements. The court emphasised that people holding such a position, and such a statute, should not be making such comments. The court added that people should not get the impression that merely because someone belongs to a particular political party, they could say anything. 

Case Title: Suo Motu WP v. Director General of Police and Another

Case No: WP Crl 1/2025