Session court grants bail to Tamil orator Nellai Kannan

A court here on Friday granted conditional bail to Tamil orator Nellai Kannan, who was arrested for allegedly making provocative remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Principal district session Court judge Nazir Shamed granted bail to Kannan after two persons stood surety for him and on the condition that he has to sign twice a day at the concerned police station.

Meanwhile, the Madras High court on Friday also directed the Tamil Nadu Government to file a counter to a plea filed by Kannan seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him for alleged provocative remarks against the Prime Minister and the Home minister.

Justice Jagadeesh Chandra of the court's Madurai bench posted the case for hearing on January 20, after the government advocate strongly objected to the petition seeking quashing of the case.

In his plea, Kannan alleged that police filed the FIR without conducting any preliminary investigation as mandated by the Supreme Court.

He claimed that the case was entirely misconceived as he was using a colloquial term in his speech and it was not his intention to hurt any community or religious group but only to voice for the aggrieved sections.

Kannan made the alleged remarks at an event organised by the Social Democratic Party of India on December 29.

He was arrested and produced before a court here on January 2 which remanded him to judicial custody for 12 days.

The BJP had lodged a police complaint seeking his arrest and prosecution.