Row laid to rest, as police accept S Ve Shekher’s apology

Justice AD Jagdish Chandira, before whom the submission was made, posted the plea to Monday owing to the lack of advocate’s signature in the apology affidavit. The judge directed the police to not arrest him until then.

The case relates to a video which he released to criticise Chief Minister Palaniswami for his condemnation of an incident where a saffron cloth was put on the statue of late chief minister and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. Claiming that the colours of the national flag were representative of different religions – saffron denoted Hindus, white Christians and green Muslims – Shekher asked if saffron on the national flag that he was to hoist on Independence Day was a disgrace.

Following this, a complaint was lodged against him for insulting the tricolour and a case was booked by the Central Crime Branch under Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, based on a complaint by one Rajarathinam from Nungambakkam.

During the hearing on the anticipatory bail petition he moved, the CCB said it would not pursue the case further if Shekher tendered apology and assured not to repeat it in future. Shekher filed an apology affidavit stating that he has never said or acted in a manner causing insult to the National Flag.

“I submit, undertake and assure to this court that for the rest of my lifetime also, I would never utter any word or act in any manner which would cause an insult to our National Flag,” he said, adding that he was “definitely remorseful” for having raised those questions to the Chief Minister.