Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan moved the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail, a day after the Aravakurichi police booked him for spreading enmity on the ground of religion in his speech ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
In his petition, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Hassan said that he believes in universal brotherhood and was for peaceful co-existence and he justified his speech at Aravakurichi assembly constituency. He said that his speech was not about promoting enmity or disharmony among the religious groups or the sections of people.
He explained his speech at the assembly constituency and claimed that what he spoke was truth citing the example of Nathuram Godse book, ‘Why I killed Gandhi.’ He said that the incident has made a threat to his life with one of the ministers threatening to cut off his tongue. Kamal Hassan said he was willing to abide by the condition of the court for the grant of anticipatory bail.
Kamal Hassan was booked under Section 153A (promoting enmity on the ground of religion) and Section 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion and religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Justice B Pugalendhi said the petition could not be taken up at this stage and asked the actor’s counsel to file an anticipatory bail petition instead.
He filed a complaint against an AIADMK minister and differentiated between a ‘terrorist’ and an ‘extremist.’ The bail plea filed by Kamal Hassan will be heard today.
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