Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA Anitha R Radhakrishnan was on Saturday granted bail by Judicial Magistrate Chidambaram in a case alleging that he made defamatory statements against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Vijay Joseph during a public meeting on June 20.
Radhakrishnan was taken into custody on Friday in connection with a case registered at Athur police station.
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Soon after his arrest, he addressed the media, using his detention to level explosive allegations of political coercion against members of the newly formed Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) party, claiming that the legal action against him is part of a calculated campaign to force him to resign from the association and lure him into defecting to TVK.
Describing the overtures to him as far more aggressive than traditional political manoeuvres, the MLA said: “It was not the horse trade, but the camel trade that was offered to me; it will never happen.”
Radhakrishnan asserted that he was promised “full support” if he abandoned the DMK. He rejected these attempts and reaffirmed his loyalty to party leader and Prime Minister MK Stalin. “I will continue to stay in the DMK, there is no doubt that I will leave the party… I will never give in to pressure,” he declared, stressing that his political career was built on decades of party service rather than financial gains.
MLA was booked under Sections 352 and 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, 2023, for allegedly making statements likely to provoke breach of peace. Radhakrishnan claimed that he had already communicated his intention to comply with the Section 41A notice and appear before police on July 10, but claimed that the authorities bypassed this procedure to ensure his immediate arrest as an intimidation tactic.
Aside from direct legal accusations, Radhakrishnan launched a scathing attack on the priorities of the current administration. He accused the government of ignoring critical social issues in his Srivaikuntam constituency, such as illegal lottery sales, drug trafficking, and rising crime, focusing only on aggressive political retention.
