Hate speech against PM, Amit Shah, Bharat Mata: Madras HC grants bail to Roman Catholic priest

Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to a Roman Catholic priest who was arrested for his hate speech against Bharat Mata, Hindus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Kanniyakumari-based priest George Ponnaiah was arrested by a special police team on July 24 in Madurai and remanded in judicial custody.

Later, Stephen a member of the Christian Movement who had arranged the function at Arumunai in Kanniyakumari on July 18 where the priest had made the disparaging remarks, was also arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

When the bail plea of George Ponnaiah came up for hearing, the court granted him bail considering his age and that he was a heart patient, with a condition that he should sign at the Thillai Nagar police station in Tiruchirapalli daily.

The priest also filed an affidavit in which he had said that he would refrain from making remarks that would arouse caste and political feelings.

The priest of Panavilai parish in Kanyakumari district was arrested after his disparaging remarks went viral on the social media and after police booked the priest for spreading hate and enmity between religious groups.

As Ponniah, who had denied making any such remarks and tendered an apology if his remarks had hurt anyone, went into hiding to evade arrest.

Five special teams, formed to nab him, traced him to a place in Madurai, using his mobile phone signals and arrested him. He had also made controversial and disparaging remarks about ‘Bharat Mata’, Hindu religion, Mr Modi and Mr Amit Shah in the meeting at Arumanai held in protest against the closure of churches, the ban on conducting prayers in houses and denial of permission for renovating or constructing churches on private ‘patta’ lands.

He also alleged that Nagercoil BJP MLA M.R. Gandhi was responsible for the 1982 Mandaikaadu communal riots.

He also claimed that the DMK’s victory in the recent Assembly polls was the “alms given by the Christians and the Muslims”, triggering condemnation from State Minorities Commission Chairman Peter Alphonse.

As his remarks triggered condemnation from various quarters, the Arumunai Police, on a spate of complaints, including from the BJP, registered cases against Ponniah under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups of religion, race, etc.), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the feelings of any class by insulting religion or religious beliefs), 505 (ii) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

He was also booked under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 143 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC, and under Sec 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act for organising the meeting, by violating the COVID pandemic restrictions. (UNI)