The Tamil Nadu Governor's office clarified on Tuesday that it has not granted approval to prosecute Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai for his alleged comments against DMK founder CN Annadurai.
This clarification followed the issuance of an order by the MK Stalin-led government to prosecute Annamalai on charges including promoting enmity between different groups, imputation prejudicial to national integration, and statements conducing to public mischief.
Annamalai's purported controversial comment about Annadurai during a demonstration in September 2023 sparked controversy. He referenced an incident in which Annadurai allegedly made a critical remark against the Hindu faith in Madurai during the 1950s, leading to opposition from freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar.
Despite Annamalai later clarifying that he did not speak ill of Annadurai and merely mentioned historical events, his remarks drew criticism from both the ruling DMK and AIADMK, with the latter citing them as a reason for severing ties with the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
The government's decision to prosecute Annamalai was based on a complaint by social activist Piyush Manush, who deemed the comments as hate speech.
While Annamalai shared the order on social media, expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of the DMK government, reports suggested that the sanction order was issued by the Governor himself.
In response to these reports, Raj Bhavan clarified that it is not aware of any criminal case against Annamalai and has not issued any sanction order for prosecution.
