Kanimozhi defamation case; BJP Leader H Raja sentenced to six months in jail

CHENNAI: Court has sentenced senior BJP leader H Raja to six months in prison and a fine. The sentence is in the case of insulting DMK leader Kanimozhi and in the case of demanding the demolition of Periyar's statue. The verdict was given by a special court in Chennai, which deals with cases related to MPs and MLAs.

The case was registered by Erode police on a complaint filed by DMK and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) in the 2018 incident. A fine of Rs 2,000 has been imposed for insulting Kanimozhi and Rs 3,000 for the remark regarding Periyar's statue.

Raja had filed two petitions in the court seeking quashing of the case but they were rejected. H Raja is the leader who led the BJP in the state when Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai was in the UK. The case was based on H Raja's remark that Kanimozhi was an illegitimate child.