The Madras High Court Yesterday (August 16th) asked BJP Member of Parliament Shobha Karandlaje to clarify whether she was willing to hold a press conference as suggested by the Tamil Nadu government, to apologise for her comments alleging that the State of Tamil Nadu had a role to play in the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru.
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CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday requested BJP Member of Parliament Shobha Karandlaje to clarify her stance on the Tamil Nadu government‘s suggestion that she hold a press conference to apologize for her comments alleging Tamil Nadu’s involvement in the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru.
Justice G Jayachandran emphasized to Karandlaje’s counsel the importance of clarity in her decision, urging her not to waver between conflicting positions.
The judge stated,
“You can’t blow hot and cold. If you are apologizing, then stick with it. You can’t say you are apologizing and then later say you will contest the matter on merits at a later stage.”
This comment was in response to the counsel’s statement that Karandlaje had reservations about the draft apology letter provided by the State, despite having previously issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter).
The draft apology letter, prepared by Advocate General PS Raman, was presented after he informed the Court in an earlier session that the State would be willing to withdraw the case against Karandlaje if she held a public press conference to issue an apology for her statements.
Justice Jayachandran initially appeared inclined to issue an order dismissing Karandlaje’s petition to quash the case. However, her counsel requested an adjournment, citing that a senior counsel had been engaged to represent her.
Consequently, the Court granted a week’s time, adjourning the matter for further hearing on August 23.
Karandlaje is seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) filed against her by the Madurai City Cybercrime Police.
The FIR was lodged following her public statement in the aftermath of the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru on March 1, where she allegedly said,
“People trained in Tamil Nadu plant bombs here. Bomb was planted at the hotel.”
PREVIOUSLY IN HIGH COURT
The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court on Wednesday of its willingness to withdraw the case against BJP Member of Parliament Shobha Karandlaje if she publicly apologizes for her comments alleging the State’s involvement in the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru.
Tamil Nadu Advocate General PS Raman presented a “draft format” of the apology expected by the State during the hearing before Justice G Jayachandran. This hearing was on a petition filed by Karandlaje seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against her by the Madurai City Cybercrime Police.
According to the FIR, following the blast at Rameshwaram Café in Bengaluru on March 1, Karandlaje allegedly claimed,
“People trained in Tamil Nadu plant bombs here. Bomb was planted at the hotel.”
Karandlaje’s counsel informed the Court that the BJP leader had already apologized for the statement and expressed regret on X (formerly Twitter). However, Justice Jayachandran questioned the sufficiency of such an apology.
The judge remarked that an apology on X might not be adequate because not many people use the platform. He mentioned that he himself did not have an account on X.
The judge emphasized that public personalities must be more conscious of their statements, saying,
“Persons in power should know what is happening. Imagine if someone from the lower level sees and interprets her remarks differently. What would happen?”
The High Court has granted Karandlaje’s counsel ten days to determine whether she is willing to hold a press conference to issue the required apology.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Rameshwaram Cafe Blast
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