Chennai: Several decades ago Dravidian icon Periyar E V Ramasamy infamously preached, “There is no god, there is no god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian.”
These words that are inscribed on the pedestal of many a statue of Periyar in Tamil Nadu, have now been termed "provocative" by a judge of the Madras High Court to quash the chargesheet against Hindutva outfit functionary and film stunt director ‘Kanal’ Kannan.
The court on Thursday quashed the chargesheet in a case booked for allegedly demanding the demolition of a Periyar statue of rationalist and located outside the famed Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam in Tiruchi district.
“It is the member of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam who has given the complaint. In fact, the display of provocative words, commenting about believers of God opposite to a Hindu temple, is the cause for the speech and the person who had provoked the speech cannot take advantage of their provocations and prosecute the petitioner for his reaction,” held Justice G Jayachandran in his order passed on Kannan's petition to set aside the prosecution pending before a Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Egmore, Chennai.
Kannan was arrested two years ago when Justice Ilanthiraiyan granted him bail on the condition that he must file an affidavit undertaking not to make such provocative speeches.
However, Kannan, in his bail petition, had argued there was nothing wrong with demanding the removal of the statute of the rationalist, located outside the temple visited by lakhs of worshippers, along with “disparaging comments” about theists. The Hindu Munnani functionary contended the police arrested him instead of arresting those who had erected the statue in front of the temple.
