Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court on Friday took strong exception to a recent “hate speech” made by BJP State executive committee member R. Kalyanaraman and questioned how he could refer to some old court order passed in his case and insinuate as if the judge had endorsed his views on Prophet Mohammed.
During the hearing of a plea by evangelist Mohan C. Lazarus to quash several cases booked against him for speaking against Hindu Gods and Hindu temples, the judge referred to Mr. Kalyanaraman’s recent public speech video in circulation on social media and expressed strong condemnation for the speaker having dragged the judge’s name.
The speech was made at Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district on January 30. There he made insulting remarks against the Prophet and Islam. Subsequently, the police booked a case and arrested him on charges of promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, besides indulging in acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
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