Public Apology Could Lead to Case Withdrawal: Madras HC to BJP MP Karandlaje
Last Updated on August 8, 2024 by NewsDesk SLC
The Tamil Nadu government in a strange turn came up with a special offer to BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje to apologize publicly, and in return, the casework will be dismissed. This is so, in the wake of Karandlaje’s ill-advised remarks over the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru which she associated with Tamil Nadu resulting in a litigious situation.
This sequence of events transpired in the Madras High Court. Justice G Jayachandran considered Karandlaje’s application to strike the FIR filed in Madurai City Cyber Crime Police. It may be recalled the FIR was registered on the complaint of the said woman, stating that people trained in Tamil Nadu used to plant bombs here and that a bomb had been planted at the hotel for which the state government acted legally.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Tamil Nadu Advocate General PS Raman said that the state would be ready to withdraw the case if Karandlaje conducts a press conference and offers a public apology. THE AG(Advocate General) even handed a rough outline of the recommended apology to deliver.
Justice Jayachandran said he wanted to know whether the former apology given by Karandlaje on X (formerly Twitter) in the letter, was sufficient for the public. He pointed out to others importance of being careful with words that are spoken especially by those who are in the public domain since such information might be misunderstood by less informed persons.
Being aware of the given sensitivity, the High Court ordered Karandlaje’s legal representation 10 days to consider whether she would give the desired press conference and public apology.
The current offer that comes from the Tamil Nadu government provides Karandlaje with an opportunity to settle the issue amicably. She could escape legal consequences of the process and decrease animosity between the state institutions and the BJP, if she apologizes for her actions publicly.
Once again, the action of the Madras High Court proves that it serves practical purposes of furthering constructive dialog in cases that are related to politics and other spheres of public life. The following approach goes a long way in showing that the judiciary is interested in seeing social order and dispensing justice.
In this case, all the eyes will be on Karandlaje in terms of what example she is going to set taking in view the social and political sentiment surrounding the issue as to how political leaders deal with controversy that sparks division, animosity or acrimony in a particular society.
Written By: Amit Kumar Patra
