Badri Seshadri's Arrest Brings Discredit To Your Government, Says Ramachandra Guha In Letter To CM Stalin

Ramachandra Guha has written a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin calling for the release of Badri Seshadri, a well known publisher and political commentator who was arrested on 29 July for his comments regarding the Chief Justice of India's remarks about the Manipur violence.

Seshadri was arrested after a complaint filed by an advocate Kaviyarasu at the Kunnam police station in Perambalur district. He has been booked under Sections 153, 153 A, and 505 (1) (b) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to a report by The Hindu, in the letter Guha has stated that the arrest is against the principles of natural justice.

Guha expressed his concern saying that the arrest “brings discredit to your Government and to the culture and history of the Tamil people”.

Mentioning the literary heritage of the state, he wrote, "As you know, Tamil Nadu has been the cradle of great literature down the ages. In more recent times, influential politicians across party lines have also been acclaimed for their contributions to literature. They include three Chief Ministers — Rajaji, Anna, and M. Karunanidhi. Given this rich literary and intellectual history, Tamil Nadu should be the last State in the Indian Union to be held guilty of persecuting writers for their political views.”

Further, he wrote that if any case had to be filed against Seshadri for his comments, it should have been done by the court and an arrest for this based on an FIR appears to be a case of political vindictiveness and contradicts the government's claim of promoting culture and literature.

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