CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has relaxed a bail condition imposed on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader H Raja, permitting his counsel to appear before the trial court on his behalf in a case in which the six-month sentence imposed on him had earlier been suspended.
Criminal cases had been registered against Raja at different police stations in connection with a post he made on the X platform in April 2018, stating that he would break the statue of Periyar EV Ramasamy. Cases were also filed alleging that he had made derogatory remarks against Kanimozhi, a Member of Parliament from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.
After the trial, the Special Court for cases against MPs and MLAs in Chennai convicted Raja in both cases and, in December 2024, sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment in each case.
Challenging the conviction and sentence, Raja filed an appeal before the Madras High Court. While admitting the appeal, the High Court suspended the sentence imposed on him, subject to the condition that he should appear in person before the trial court on the first working day of every month.
Subsequently, citing ill health, Raja moved the High Court seeking relaxation of this condition. Justice AD Jagadish Chandira, who heard the petition, modified the condition and permitted Raja’s counsel to appear before the trial court on his behalf instead of his personal appearance.