Chennai: Madras high court on Wednesday restrained Tamil Nadu police from filing the final report in a criminal case registered against Ponraj, political commentator and former scientific advisor to the late President A P J Abdul Kalam, for alleged derogatory remarks against women followers of TVK. Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan passed the interim order on a plea moved by Ponraj to quash the FIR registered against him on a complaint by state energy minister R Nirmalkumar.According to the complainant, on March 18, he came across a YouTube interview by Ponraj that was highly derogatory against women in general. The cybercrime wing of Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) police registered the FIR, on the basis of the complaint on May 12. In his petition, Ponraj said the YouTube video was deleted much before the registration of the FIR. The registration of the case was a clear case of misuse of political power for vendetta and the complaint was to silence legitimate political criticism, which is protected as free speech under Article l9(1)(a) of the Constitution, he said.
