According to the advocate, Minister Ponmudy made offensive remarks against Saivites, Vaishnavites, and women, which he believes makes the Minister unfit to continue in a constitutional role.
Madras: On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Madras High Court gave time until June 5 to both the Tamil Nadu Government and Forest Minister K. Ponmudy to submit their responses in a public interest litigation (PIL) case.
The case was filed by advocate B. Jagannath, who has requested that the minister be disqualified from holding any constitutional position because of a derogatory speech made by him.
According to the advocate, Minister Ponmudy made offensive remarks against Saivites, Vaishnavites, and women, which he believes makes the Minister unfit to continue in a constitutional role.
The matter was heard by the First Division Bench of Chief Justice K.R. Shriram and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq. The judges ordered State Government Pleader Edwin Prabakar to accept the court notice on behalf of the Home Secretary. They also issued a separate notice to Mr. Ponmudy himself, directing both the Government and the Minister to submit their replies by June 5.
The judges have asked the High Court Registry to list the case again on June 19 for further hearing.
During the hearing, Advocate General P.S. Raman brought the court’s attention to certain comments made by the PIL petitioner, Jagannath, against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
The Advocate General stated that the petitioner had made “highly objectionable statements” in an additional affidavit that was submitted along with the PIL.
Quoting P.S. Raman, the judges noted that the statements made by the petitioner were “highly objectionable statements against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.”
Immediately after this was pointed out, the petitioner agreed to remove those statements, and the judges recorded his agreement in the official court proceedings.
Earlier, the Madras High Court strongly criticized the Tamil Nadu government, particularly Minister Ponmudy, for making inappropriate and offensive comments about the Shaivite and Vaishnavite communities.
The court stated that “law is for everyone,” implying that no one, including those in power, is above the law.
The court ordered the authorities to file a First Information Report (FIR) regarding Ponmudy’s controversial remarks.
Justice Anand Venkatesh, who presided over the case, emphasized that the authorities should not file multiple cases but focus on one FIR.
“I must get an answer on what is going to happen on the complaint. The material is already available. The issue does not require an enquiry because the person who made the comment is accepting the comment,” said Justice Venkatesh, noting that Ponmudy had already admitted to making the remarks.
He further stated, “The damaging content is still there. It cannot just go on and on. We don’t know when it’ll flare up. This is a cognisance taken by the court. The moment I enter into this, it’ll get a different colour, which I don’t want to happen.”
Justice Venkatesh made it clear that people in positions of power, such as ministers, should be more careful with their words.
The matter is now scheduled to continue after all parties have submitted their replies.
What Did Minister Ponmudy Say?
Ponmudy, the Tamil Nadu Forest Minister, stirred controversy last week by making vulgar and inappropriate comments about the Shaivite and Vaishnavite communities. While attending a meeting organized by the Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, Ponmudy shared an anecdote that many found offensive.
He told a story about a sex worker asking a man whether he was a Shaivite or a Vaishnavite. Ponmudy then claimed that the sex worker interpreted the Shaivite tilak (a horizontal mark) as a “lying down position” and the Vaishnavite tilak (a vertical mark) as a “standing position.”
The story shocked many in the audience, but unfortunately, some in the crowd laughed at his remarks. This drew condemnation from various quarters, including the BJP and a section of the DMK leadership.
In response, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took action and removed Ponmudy from his position as the Deputy General Secretary of the DMK.
