Ponraj seeks anticipatory bail in two cases booked for derogatory speech against TVK women wing members

Political commentator V. Ponraj has filed two anticipatory bail petitions in the Madras High Court fearing arrest by the Chennai and Cuddalore police in cases registered against him for his alleged derogatory speech against women who admire Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and support his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The petitions are likely to be heard by Justice R. Sakthivel on Thursday (May 21, 2026). The petitioner told the court that he was a distinguished scientist, public policy advisor and a social visionary with 35 years of experience in aerospace technologies, information systems and youth empowerment. He had served as Director (Technology Interface) at the President’s Secretariat during the tenure of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and subsequently as an advisor on Science & Technology and Public Policy to Mr. Kalam from 2007 to 2015. Of late, he had been involving himself in political commentry. The petitioner said that he was interviewed by a YouTube channel in March 2026 and was posed questions regarding the conduct of certain members of TVK’s women’s wing who undermine family values and social morality. Then, the petitioner criticised the specific conduct of those individuals and not women in general. This led to Mr. Vijay himself meeting the Director General of Police to lodge a complaint. Subsequently, the cyber crime wing in Chennai as well as the Cuddalore New Town Police registered individual First Information Reports (FIRs) under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other special laws. Though the petitioner gave a counter complaint against Mr. Vijay and his other party leaders, including Aadhav Arjuna, Rajmohan, Loyola Mani and Nanjil Sampath pursuant to hundreds of life threats received by him from TVK supporters, the police had not chosen to register any FIR on his complaint, Mr. Ponraj alleged. Claiming that the allegations levelled against him in the two FIRs are entirely false, fabricated and politically motivated, the petitioner said, the very registration of the two cases was a clear case of misuse of political power to silence legitimate political criticism. “The petitioner submits that he is a senior scientist of national repute with an unblemished service record, including service at the President’s Secretariat under the late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. His arrest would cause grave and irreparable harm to his dignity, reputation, and professional standing,” the petition read. It also stated: “He (the petitioner) has deep roots in Chennai and is not a flight risk. There is no reasonable apprehension that he will tamper with evidence or interfere with the investigation. He is fully willing to cooperate with any lawful investigation.”