In adherence to the recent directive from the Supreme Court regarding hate speeches, the Tamil Nadu government has given its approval for the prosecution of K Annamalai, the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for his alleged hate speech against a Christian Missionary Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The decision to prosecute Annamalai follows a complaint made by V Piyush of Salem and is based on several sections of the Indian Penal Code.
On October 18, the public department issued a government order (GO.MS. No 652) outlining the government’s decision to grant the necessary sanction for prosecution. The Salem district collector had previously referred toĀ Piyush’s complaint, which called for action against Annamalai and one Rajavel Nagarajan associated with the YouTube channel “Pesu Tamizha Pesu.” The complaint accused them of offenses punishable under Section 153 (intention to cause a riot), Section 505 (promoting enmity between classes), and Section 120A (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The government order elaborated on the matter, emphasizing that Annamalai had intentionally and out of context made remarks regarding a Christian Missionary NGO. These remarks subsequently led the NGO to file a petition with the Supreme Court.