Three DMK leaders booked over remarks against CM Vijay, minister
Tamil Nadu police have registered cases against DMK deputy general secretary A Raja and former minister PK Sekar Babu over alleged derogatory remarks against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, officials said on Tuesday. Kallakurichi police booked DMK MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan. The remarks were allegedly made during a DMK state-wide protest on September 12. FIRs cite BNS sections including 296, 352, 196(1), 353(1) and 351(2). Raja said they would face any lawsuit filed.
Source
Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- Cases were registered against DMK leaders A Raja, PK Sekar Babu and MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan over remarks against CM C Joseph Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar. — Attributed in source to officials familiar with the matter and to a senior North Chennai police officer speaking anonymously; no on-record police statement given.
- The remarks were allegedly made during a DMK state-wide protest on September 12. — Date appears in the source; no attribution to a named official.
- FIRs against Sekar Babu invoke BNS sections 296, 352, 196(1), 353(1), 352(2) and 351(2). — Section numbers appear in source, attributed to an unnamed senior North Chennai police officer.
- DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan alleged the TVK government is acting only against DMK members and has not acted on custodial deaths and attacks on women. — Direct quote attributed to a named spokesperson; allegation itself is unverified.
- A Raja responded: 'if a lawsuit is filed, we just have to face it.' — Quote attributed directly to A Raja in the source.
Analysts’ view opinion
These FIRs are a marker of Tamil Nadu's inverted power equation, with the DMK now on the receiving end as the opposition. Cases against A Raja, PK Sekar Babu and MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan over remarks about Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay create a legal headache for the DMK, but also hand it a ready-made 'vendetta' narrative. For the TVK government this looks like defending the dignity of its leaders; for the DMK it is potential ground-level sympathy.
- Raja's immediate 'we will just have to face it' response signals a DMK strategy of escalation rather than retreat.
- Shifting the conversation from governance record to personal invective is, in publicity terms, useful for the ruling side.
- The DMK spokesperson's charge that the government has no answers on crime and custodial deaths but files cases against DMK leaders sets out the opposition's core line of attack.
- Invoking multiple BNS sections gives the police case procedural heft, but the 'right of an opposition to criticise' argument will be pressed both in court and in public.
- Because a party deputy general secretary is named, this is likely to move beyond a local dispute into a statewide political issue.
What to watch — Watch whether the DMK combines legal challenges with street protests, and whether the TVK government books further leaders — that combination will set the political temperature ahead.
The story does not establish what exactly was said, whether the charges will legally hold, or whether the cases were politically motivated; these remain allegations at the FIR stage.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Tamil Nadu is now governed by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) with C Joseph Vijay as chief minister, while the DMK sits in opposition with Udhayanidhi Stalin as Leader of the Opposition. During a DMK state-wide protest on September 12, senior DMK figures allegedly made derogatory remarks against CM Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, and clips circulated widely on social media. Police in Chennai and Kallakurichi have since registered FIRs under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against DMK deputy general secretary A Raja, former minister PK Sekar Babu and MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan.
Key facts
- Cases were registered against DMK deputy general secretary and former Union minister A Raja and former state minister PK Sekar Babu over alleged derogatory remarks against CM C Joseph Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar.
- Kallakurichi police filed a similar case against DMK MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan for his comments against the chief minister.
- The remarks were allegedly made during a DMK state-wide protest held on September 12.
- FIRs against Sekar Babu were registered by North Chennai police under BNS sections including 296, 352, 196(1), 353(1), 352(2) and 351(2).
- Sections invoked against A Raja include defamatory remarks intended to disturb peace, inciting violence between groups, obscene language and acts disrupting public order under the BNS.
- The comments by Raja and Sekar Babu circulated widely on social media and drew reactions from parties, including DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
- A Raja told reporters: 'Is this a question? if a lawsuit is filed, we just have to face it.'
- DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan alleged cases have also been filed against the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Timeline
- September 12DMK holds a state-wide protest; A Raja, PK Sekar Babu and Vasantham Karthikeyan (in Kallakurichi) allegedly make derogatory remarks against CM Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar.
- After the protestVideo comments by Raja and Sekar Babu circulate widely on social media, drawing reactions from several parties including DMK MP Kanimozhi.
- Tuesday (as reported)Officials confirm FIRs registered by North Chennai police and Kallakurichi police against the three DMK leaders under BNS sections.
Who has a stake
- A Raja, DMK deputy general secretary and former Union minister — Faces FIR over alleged defamatory, obscene and enmity-promoting remarks; says the party will face any lawsuit filed.
- PK Sekar Babu, former HR and CE minister — FIRs registered by North Chennai police under multiple BNS sections including 296, 352, 196(1), 353(1) and 351(2).
- Vasantham Karthikeyan, DMK MLA — Booked by Kallakurichi police over comments against the chief minister.
- CM C Joseph Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar (TVK government) — Targets of the alleged remarks; the ruling party's response is being read as political retaliation by the DMK.
- DMK as opposition party — Claims its right to criticise the ruling party is being curbed; spokesperson TKS Elangovan alleges selective policing.
- Tamil Nadu Police — Must show even-handedness in registering and pursuing cases; a senior officer declined to give details beyond confirming the FIR.
Why it matters
Criminal cases over political speech test where lawful criticism ends and criminally punishable abuse begins, especially when the complaints target opposition leaders. The use of new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions on obscenity, enmity and false information online shows how the recodified criminal law is being applied to everyday political conflict. The episode also sharpens the ruling TVK-opposition DMK confrontation ahead of continuing assembly and street-level battles.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code as India's principal criminal code.
- BNS 296: reciting obscene songs or words in or near a public place; BNS 352: intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.
- BNS 196(1): promoting enmity between groups; BNS 353(1): spreading false information including via social media; BNS 351(2): criminal intimidation with threat of injury to body, reputation or property.
- Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is the ruling party in Tamil Nadu with C Joseph Vijay as chief minister, per the source.
- Udhayanidhi Stalin is named as Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu in the source.
- The DMK's state-wide protest that triggered the FIRs was held on September 12.
Mains framing
The booking of three DMK leaders, including deputy general secretary A Raja, for remarks made at a September 12 state-wide protest illustrates the growing criminalisation of political speech in India's states. The immediate cause is alleged derogatory and obscene language against CM C Joseph Vijay and minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, amplified by social media circulation, which drew FIRs under BNS provisions covering obscenity in public (296), intentional insult provoking breach of peace (352), promoting enmity (196(1)), spreading false information online (353(1)) and criminal intimidation (351(2)). The implication is twofold: virality now converts speech at a rally into a documented, prosecutable offence, and opposition parties can plausibly allege selective enforcement, as DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan did while contrasting the speed of these FIRs with unanswered charges on custodial deaths and attacks on women raised by the Leader of the Opposition. A balanced way forward, on the evidence in the source, lies in police transparency about the basis for each section invoked, uniform application of the law irrespective of party, and political self-restraint by leaders on personal abuse, leaving courts to test whether the speech crossed from protected criticism into criminal conduct.
Key terms
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- India's recodified criminal law under which the FIRs against the DMK leaders were registered.
- DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)
- Tamil Nadu's opposition party in this story, whose leaders have been booked over protest remarks.
- TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam)
- The ruling party in Tamil Nadu as described in the source, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
- FIR (First Information Report)
- The police document that formally records a cognisable offence and begins investigation.
- Leader of the Opposition (LoP)
- Head of the largest opposition group in the assembly; identified in the source as Udhayanidhi Stalin.
- HR and CE department
- Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments portfolio, earlier held by PK Sekar Babu.
Practice questions
- Does the use of criminal law provisions against opposition leaders' speech strengthen public order or weaken democratic dissent? Discuss with reference to the Tamil Nadu FIRs against DMK leaders.
- Examine how social media amplification of political speech alters the enforcement of criminal provisions such as BNS 353(1) on spreading false information.
- What institutional safeguards can ensure that police discretion in registering cases on political speech is exercised without partisan bias?
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.