HC dismisses plea seeking NIA probe against Tunku Varadarajan

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation against journalist Tunku Varadarajan for making a Twitter post in favor of the formation of Dravidistan.

The first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala dismissed the plea by K Vaikunth of Chennai.

The petitioner submitted that the journalist who is staying in the UK had posted a tweet in favour of carving out Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala from the nation by calling it as Dravidistan and the same should be probed by the NIA.

“This has to stop at one point and now is the time and it's high time these kinds of characters who hate our nation to divide - call for the cessation of India in the name of free speech be looked immediately and an investigation has to be conducted about the background of the people who are both morally and financially backing the accused in this regard, ” the petitioner submitted.

Recording the submission, the CJ MN Bhandari observed that the court cannot look into the issues being spoken by someone somewhere. “ Since someone is speaking something, the same should not be highlighted in a way creating problems. This petition is looking to create a tussle and intensify the same in the society, ” the CJ observed.

As the bench expressed dissatisfaction against the petitioner, he submitted that he is ready to withdraw his plea. The judges granted liberty to the petitioner to withdraw the plea and dismissed it as withdrawn.