BJP Coimbatore president Balaji Uthamaramasamy, who was arrested on September 21 on charges of making derogatory remarks against social reformer ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and the Nilgiris MP A. Raja, was released on bail from the Coimbatore Central Prison on Friday.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Uthamaramasamy claimed that a false case was foisted against him and a provision of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act slapped on him by the police would not stand.
The party will move the Madras High Court for the bail of 11 cadres who were arrested along with him, he said.
Mr. Uthamaramsamy’s counsels said a court granted him conditional bail on Thursday, and the prison authorities processed the release on Friday. “We argued before the court that the SC/ST Act provision invoked against him was unwanted as he did not make any reference to the caste of the persons as claimed by the police,” a counsel said.
He was accused of making the remarks during a protest by the Hindu Munnani at Peelamedu on September 18 in Coimbatore, which was organised to condemn the Nilgiris MP A. Raja for his allegedly disrespectful comments on Hinduism citing the Manusmriti.
