Kamal Haasan granted anticipatory bail by Madras HC in Godse remark case

In what comes as a major relief to actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted him anticipatory bail on Monday, after the police booked him for his controversial remarks on Nathuram Godse. Kamal made the remarks while campaigning for his party Makkal Needhi Maiam’s Aravakurichi candidate. 

It was at a public meeting on 12th May that Haasan had said independent India’s first terrorist was a Hindu, referring to Nathuram Godse who had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. 

This statement had generated political reactions from the BJP and the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, which is a part of the BJP-led NDA alliance. Hassan was accused of minority appeasement and the BJP had also complained to the Election Commission that his ‘remarks were made deliberately in the presence of a Muslim majority crowd for electoral gains’.

The FIR against his comments were filed in Aravakurichi, based on the complaint filed by members of Hindu fringe groups. A case was registered under sections 153A and 295A. 

The High Court’s Madurai Bench had reserved its order last week. 

After completing his last leg of campaigning, Kamal Haasan had clarified that “If a historical truth is spoken and it wounds people, we should heal that wound. That’s why we are here, being together and co-existing is the way ahead.”

Elaborating that his comments were on co-existence over tolerance, Haasan said that other religions should not only be tolerated but should be wholly accepted.

There were also attempts of violence against the actor for his comments, as miscreants had hurled slippers, eggs, and stones at rallies of the actor. However, they fell in the midst of the crowd and the actor was escorted to safety. 

Haasan’s party Makkal Needhi Maiam is making its debut in the Parliamentary polls and the by-polls to Tamil Nadu’s Assembly seats.