MDMK chief Vaiko sentenced to 1 year in jail for sedition

MDMK chief Vaiko has been sentenced to one year in jail in a sedition case. A special court in Chennai also fined the 75-year-old leader Rs 10,000 in the case, which relates to a speech Vaiko made in 2009. However, the court also stayed the execution of the sentence so he can appeal it in a higher court if he wishes.

Vaiko had made the speech in question at an event in Chennai at the height of the Sri Lankan civil war, in which government forces routed the Tamil-separatist LTTE. Vaiko remains a strong LTTE supporter. He had said in that 2009 speech that India would not remain a united nation if it did not ensure that the fighting stopped in Sri Lanka.

The sedition case had been filed against him under Sections 124A and 153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The sections relate to "promoting enmity between different groups in the country on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, and language".

The case had been filed by the DMK government, which ruled Tamil Nadu at the time. Vaiko at the time was an ally of the DMK's arch rival, the AIADMK. This has presented an irony. Vaiko is now a DMK ally, and is preparing to return to the Rajya Sabha as part of a pre-poll arrangement made ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

It is now unclear if the conviction will disqualify Vaiko from contesting in the Rajya Sabha election, which is scheduled to be held on July 18.

Vaiko has previously served three terms in the Rajya Sabha, with his first term beginning in 1978 as a member of the DMK. His last term was between 1999 to 2004.