T.N. Police submit before Madras High Court video of Ponmudy’s speech

The Tamil Nadu police on Wednesday (September 3, 2025) submitted before the Madras High Court a pen drive containing the video of a derogatory speech delivered by former Minister K. Ponmudy against Saivites, Vaishnavites, and women at a Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) event in Chennai on April 8, 2025.

Appearing before Justice N. Sathish Kumar, Advocate General P.S. Raman also submitted the transcript of a speech delivered by another individual in the 1970s based on which Mr. Ponmudy had made the remarks. The judge said he would go through the speeches and then hear the case on September 16, 2025.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh had taken up a suo motu writ petition, seeking a direction to the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the former Minister, after a video clip of his speech went viral on the social media, thereby making him lose his ministership, besides drawing flak from various quarters.

During the last hearing of the case, the A-G had told Justice Kumar that the police had not registered an FIR since the former Minister had only reproduced what was already spoken by someone else in the 1970s. Hence, the judge had asked the A-G to produce both the speeches before the court.