Troubled days are ahead for Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K. Ponmudi, whose sentence and conviction have been suspended by the Supreme Court in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case. He was reinstated as a minister in the Tamil Nadu cabinet led by M.K. Stalin. On April 17, the Madras High Court Judge Anand Venkatesh ordered the police to register an FIR against him for his recent comments against Shaivites, Vaishnavites, and women in general.
While hearing a suo motu revision petition against the Minister’s acquittal in the DA case, the Judge questioned the Tamil Nadu government on the inaction over the speech and sought a clear update on whether an FIR had been registered.
Referring to video clips of the Minister’s remarks circulated on social media, Justice Venkatesh observed that the statements were not accidental. He said, “The person who made the comment is accepting the comment,” while rejecting the notion that the matter could be resolved with a mere apology.
In the video, Ponmudi recounts a supposed interaction between a man and a prostitute, in which the woman asks whether he is a Shaivite or a Vaishnavite, quoting different rates for her services based on his answer — all while presenting the exchange in a vulgar and offensive manner.
According to the Judge, the remarks are “damaging content”. He said, “It cannot just go on and on. We don’t know when it’ll flare up. This is a cognisance taken by the court. The moment I enter into this, it’ll get a different colour. I don’t want that to happen.”
Stressing the seriousness of the issue, Justice Venkatesh said the state must act, failing which he would be compelled to take suo motu action. The court said, “If they don’t [register an FIR], then I’ll initiate suo motu. Law must apply equally, regardless of political affiliation… Somebody must hesitate to do that in future. They shouldn’t think — when I belong to some other party, I will be held, but if I belong to the ruling party, I can talk anything. That impression should never be given. Law is for everybody.”
The judge said, “Now that I have taken cognisance of the issue, I must get an answer by April 23 on what the police are proposing to do on this issue. Don’t register multiple FIRs. Register one FIR, pursue it properly and proceed further with the investigation. That is what is required.” The video, he said, is still available on social media. “We don’t know when it will flare up.”
The court said the police need not have waited for a complaint in such an issue. The law-enforcing authority must have initiated suo motu criminal action on the basis of the video being circulated on social media, especially when the Minister had admitted to having made such a speech. The court told the Advocate General that it did not behove a person holding the post of a minister to have made such unsavoury remarks against women and particularly against religious denominations in a gathering attended by women in good numbers. The Minister made these remarks in full consciousness, and they did not appear to be a slip of the tongue for him to simply offer regret.
Meanwhile, BJP State General Secretary A.P. Muruganandam lodged a complaint seeking action against the organisers of the April 6, event where Ponmudi spoke. He demanded that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin offer a public apology for the actions of DMK leaders.
In his three-page petition, he said, “The speech of the said Minister has caused me great grief, anguish, mental agony, harassment and pain. Since the above speech of the said Minister has reached the public all over the world through broadcast by traditional media as well as social media, through his scandalous and hateful manner of portrayal of Shaiva and Vaishnava culture of our Indian people, he has made a mockery of Indian people, particularly Hindus, among the people of the world, and he has also brought dishonour, shame, disgrace and humiliation to our India.”
Concluding his letter, he said, “I request that prompt and necessary action be initiated against him so that he is held liable for the offences committed by him and the event organisers, and that he is given due punishment for the said offences that he and the organisers have committed to defame, and to cause dishonour, shame, disgrace and humiliation to our country, India, and its people.”
TN BJP former Chief K. Annamalai, in a tweet on X, said, “This is DMK’s standard of political discourse in Tamil Nadu. Thiru Ponmudi was once the Higher Education Minister of Tamil Nadu & is now Minister for Forests and Khadi, and the youth of Tamil Nadu are expected to tolerate this filth? Not just this Minister, the entire DMK ecosystem is vulgar, foul-mouthed, and uncouth. Hang your head in shame, Thiru @mkstalin, for leading such a disgraceful pack. By removing him from a party post today, if @arivalayam thinks people will move on, they are sadly mistaken! DMK’s relentless attacks on the pillars of Hindu Dharma (Shaivam & Vaishnavam) won’t go unanswered forever. Don’t take our silence for weakness, Thiru @mkstalin.”
This is DMK’s standard of political discourse in Tamil Nadu. Thiru Ponmudi was once the Higher Education Minister of Tamil Nadu & now Minister for Forests and Khadi, and the youth of Tamil Nadu are expected to tolerate this filth? Not just this Minister, the entire DMK ecosystem… pic.twitter.com/ENMq47hiPf
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) April 11, 2025
Earlier, in 2023, while inaugurating a ration shop at Manappoondi in Viluppuram district, Ponmudi said, “Even your Panchayat Union Chairperson is a woman from an oppressed community. See who’s the Chairman of this village? You are from a downtrodden community, right? You are an SC (Scheduled Caste), right?” He posed this question to her in the open while she was seated on stage.
In yet another incident, Ponmudi shouted at a woman to ‘shut up’ when she came to express her grievances. “Did you vote for me? Go and ask him for whom you had voted,” he said in a sarcastic and offensive tone. “For you only ₹4,000 per card. Did he (Stalin) give or not? You got it, right? Open your mouth and say. You got ₹4,000, right? How are you going in the bus today? If you want to go from here to Koyambedu or anywhere, you are going in ‘OC’ (free). You are going in ‘OC’ bus.” He also referred to North Indians as “beeda vayan” (pan chewers).
