Chennai: The Madras High Court, on Monday, granted actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan protection from arrest, after people began filing cases against him for his remark on Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.
Making his case before the High Court, Haasan said that his comment on Godse was merely a “historic fact” and that he was merely attempting to demonstrate that “extremists are in all religions”. He also said that his speech was misquoted with “malafide intent”.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, 76 complaints have been filed against the MNM chief, after he called Godse “independent India’s first Hindu terrorist” a week ago during a campaign in the Aravakurichi area of Tamil Nadu. They also opposed the HC’s decision to grant Haasan protection from arrest.
Haasan’s remark sparked a nation-wide row with politicians affiliated with various parties criticising him. The BJP and the AIADMK even went so far as to accuse him of trying to “incite communal hatred in a Muslim-dominant area”.
Recently, slippers and other items were hurled at the actor-politician for his remark.
He was also banned from campaigning in Sulur by the Election Commission after a complaint was filed by state BJP chief Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan.
