Chennai, March 20 The Madras High Court on Thursday granted bail to a man accused of throwing mud at Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K. Ponmudy during his visit to cyclone-hit areas in Villupuram.
Justice Sunder Mohan granted bail to the accused, Ramakrishnan from Iruvelpattu village in Villupuram, disposing of his bail petition.
Advocate A. Ashvathaman, representing Ramakrishnan, argued that the case against his client was fabricated. He pointed out that his client had been in custody for more than 20 days, despite the maximum punishment for the alleged offence being less than two years.
The advocate further contended that an arrest was unnecessary for such a minor charge.
The incident occurred on December 3, when Minister Ponmudy, accompanied by his son and Kallakurichi MP Gautham Sigamani, along with district officials, was visiting areas affected by Cyclone Fengal in Villupuram.
As the minister arrived at Iruvelpattu village, hundreds of residents staged a protest, accusing the government of failing to provide relief and rehabilitation. During the visit, as the minister attempted to console the protesters, unidentified individuals allegedly threw mud at him and other officials.
A video of the incident soon went viral on social media, sparking widespread political debate.
Earlier, the Madras High Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to Ramakrishnan, citing allegations that the incident had political motivations. Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira had dismissed the plea after Government Advocate (Criminal Side) S. Santhosh argued that even the district Collector was not spared during the chaos.
The incident escalated further when area residents blocked the Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway in protest, demanding immediate relief measures.
Following the attack on the minister, Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai took to social media platform X to criticise the state government.
The case had drawn sharp reactions from both political camps, with opposition leaders using the incident to highlight alleged government negligence in disaster relief efforts.
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