HC declines to quash criminal proceedings against Bharathi

CHENNAI: Holding that DMK organising secretary and Rajya Sabha member RS Bharathi’s alleged casteist remarks about judges from SC/ST communities was “nothing but a humiliation and insult to the oppressed community”, the Madras High Court refused to quash criminal proceedings against him.

The statements made by the DMK organising secretary were not in good taste, said Justice N Satish Kumar, adding: “The allegations prima facie show that such statement leads inference as if except for the alms rendered by the DMK, the members from Scheduled Caste would not have been become a judge of the High Court.”

Also, expressing strong disapproval over public leaders indulging in acerbic speeches against opponents instead of engaging in intellectual debate, Justice Satish Kumar said, “Intellectual debates have been forgotten by the socalled leaders. On the other hand, under the guise of freedom guaranteed under the Constitution, the persons claiming to be public leaders are spitting venom against opponents.”

This has become a routine affair, the judge said, adding that such debates were not good for society or the younger generation. “The leaders are required to engage with an intellectual debate and not on personal grudge,” he added.

The bench then dismissed Bharathi’s plea to quash the criminal proceedings pending against him at the Special Court No 1 for trial of criminal cases related to MPs and MLAs of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, and directed it to conduct the trial expeditiously, on a day-to-day basis.

During Kalaignar Vaasagar Vattaram function on February 15, 2020, Bharathi had allegedly stated that the appointment of Justice A Varadharajan and seven to eight other judges from the oppressed communities to the High Court were alms rendered by late chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi. Based on a complaint, a case was registered and a final report was filed, following which Bharathi was arrested on May 23. He was later granted bail.