Madras High Court Raps Ex-DMK Minister Ponmudy for Derogatory Hindu Remarks

The Madras High Court on 8 July launched suo motu proceedings against former Tamil Nadu minister K. Ponmudy for a public speech that disparaged Vaishnavite and Saivite Hindus as well as women. Justice P. Velmurugan, presiding over the single-judge bench, criticised the remarks as obscene and warned that politicians were treating the free-speech guarantees of Article 19 as limitless. The court said it “cannot be mere spectators” and cautioned that it would order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe if Tamil Nadu police failed to take action. The matter was posted to 1 August for further hearing. Ponmudy, a senior DMK figure who was recently removed as the party’s deputy general secretary, had recounted an anecdote at an April event linking Hindu religious symbols to sexual positions, triggering widespread condemnation across political parties. The court’s intervention marks the first time it has opened a suo motu case over such speech, underscoring judicial concerns about rising political rhetoric that targets religious communities.