Madras HC quashes case against law student for social media post against Periyar The judge observed that the petitioner had merely expressed his views that the said statue would affect the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Madras HC quashes case against law student for social media post against Periyar
The judge observed that the petitioner had merely expressed his views that the said statue would affect the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.File Photo | Express
Express News Service
Updated on:
04 Apr 2026, 8:46 am
1 min read
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MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently quashed a criminal case registered against a law student for his social media post that the Periyar statue in front of the Srirangam temple should be broken and removed. The court observed that the student had only expressed his opinion, and the same cannot be considered to have promoted enmity between two groups.

Justice R Vijayakumar passed the order on a petition filed by the student, who is now a graduate awaiting enrollment, seeking to quash the criminal case, which was registered by the Srirangam police in 2023.

The judge observed that the petitioner had merely expressed his views that the said statue would affect the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Since it was only his opinion and no untoward incidents happened due to the post, the same cannot be considered to have promoted enmity between two groups, the judge said.

Since the petitioner filed an affidavit that he realized his mistake and would not repeat the same in the future, the judge allowed the petition and quashed the FIR.
[04/04, 16:26] Meta AI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has quashed a criminal case against a law student for a social media post suggesting the removal of Periyar’s statue near Srirangam temple. The court observed that the student’s post was merely an expression of opinion and didn’t promote enmity between groups. The student had filed an affidavit stating he realized his mistake and wouldn’t repeat it, leading to the FIR being quashed [1].