Mon Dec 02 21:10:22 UTC 2024: ## Senior BJP Leader H. Raja Sentenced to Six Months Imprisonment
**Chennai:** A special court in Chennai has sentenced senior BJP leader H. Raja to six months imprisonment on two separate counts of hate speech. The charges stem from two social media posts in 2018. One post contained derogatory remarks against former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and his daughter, MP Kanimozhi. The other incited the destruction of statues of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, drawing a parallel to the demolition of a Lenin statue in Tripura.
The court has allowed the sentences to run concurrently. Raja, a former MLA, had challenged the cases in the High Court, but his petition was dismissed last year. He has stated that his remarks were politically motivated and intends to appeal the verdict. The court has temporarily stayed the execution of the sentence pending appeal. The DMK had filed complaints leading to police investigations and subsequent charges.
First Piper 