The Madras High Court on Thursday quashed a criminal case against Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, which was registered in Tamil Nadu over her remarks linking the state to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru. The court’s decision came days after Karandlaje tendered an apology for her comments.
Justice G Jayachandran issued the order after the Tamil Nadu government informed the bench that it had decided to accept Karandlaje’s apology affidavit as a policy decision and did not wish to pursue the matter further.
The case was filed following a low-intensity blast on March 1 at a popular eatery in Bengaluru, which injured around ten people. In the aftermath, Karandlaje had made comments linking the people of Tamil Nadu to the incident, leading to a criminal complaint being lodged against her by the Madurai police. The Union Minister subsequently approached the court, seeking to quash the proceedings.
In her affidavit filed before Justice Jayachandran’s bench on Tuesday, Karandlaje stated that her remarks about the people of Tamil Nadu were made “without any intention” to hurt their sentiments or feelings. She added that she had already retracted her comments and had issued “profound apologies through social media platforms.”*
“I state that I have the highest respect and regard for the history, rich culture, tradition, and the people of Tamil Nadu, and I had or have no intention whatsoever to hurt the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu by any conduct of mine,” Karandlaje affirmed in her affidavit.
She further stated, “Hence, I hereby once again tender my apology to the people of Tamil Nadu for having caused any hurt from my comments. The same may kindly be taken on record in the interest of justice.”
