Former Tamil Nadu minister and Tiruchendur MLA Anitha R Radhakrishnan of the DMK was arrested on Friday over allegedly derogatory remarks made against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, shortly after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
Who is Anitha Radhakrishnan?
Radhakrishnan is a former Fisheries Minister of Tamil Nadu and the sitting DMK legislator from the Tiruchendur constituency in Thoothukudi district.
A case was booked against him by Authoor police over objectionable comments he allegedly made about Chief Minister Vijay during a recent speech.
Visuals shared by news agencies showed the MLA being taken away by police amid a crowd of supporters near Thoothukudi, following the court's refusal to grant him anticipatory bail.
He was subsequently taken to the Thoothukudi District Superintendent of Police office for further investigation.
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Stalin, Kanimozhi Condemn Arrest
DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin sharply criticised the arrest in a X post, questioning the urgency behind detaining a legislator who was "conducting inspection in his constituency," and asking why the state's "pure force government" had shown no similar urgency in a separate case involving gang-rape allegations made against a ruling TVK party legislator from Srivaikuntam.
Stalin further alleged that the government had failed to curb crimes against women across Tamil Nadu while focusing instead on silencing opposition voices, and accused the chief minister of trying to protect his position "through horse-trading," warning that "arrogance will lead to destruction."
In his post, Stalin also questioned how many people would have to be arrested if speaking critically of the chief minister were treated as grounds for detention, asking why elected representatives who had not delivered on promises to voters were instead targeting opposition members who spoke up.
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முதலமைச்சரை அவதூறாகப் பேசினார் என்று முன்னாள் அமைச்சர் அனிதா ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் அவர்களைக் கைது செய்துள்ளது ‘Take Diversion' அரசு.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 3, 2026
தொகுதியில் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டு மக்கள் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டு இருந்தவரை, அவசர அவசரமாகக் கைதுசெய்ய வேண்டிய அவசியம் என்ன வந்தது?
சினிமா ஆக்ஷன் பாணியில் போலீஸ்… https://t.co/CWcWJJlm3j
He ended the post declaring, "Arrogance paves the way to ruin."
Thoothukudi MP and DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi also condemned the arrest, stating that the party would not bow down to what she described as oppressive tactics by the ruling TVK government.
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