Writers, historians rally behind Badri Seshadri, urge CM Stalin for his release

Chennai: Prominent writers and historians have come together to support Badri Seshadri, who was taken into judicial custody on July 29th following his critical remarks about the Supreme Court's involvement in the Manipur crisis.

The eight signatories of a letter sent to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on July 31st have urged for Seshadri's immediate release, arguing that his arrest is an "extreme reaction" and a violation of the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

The incident began when Kaviyarasu, a lawyer from Perambalur, filed a complaint against Seshadri, alleging that his comments during an interview with Aadhan Tamil YouTube had belittled the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachund, and brought dishonour to the Supreme Court and the country's judicial system. Seshadri was arrested and detained at the Trichy Central Prison for a 14-day period.

The letter addressed to the Chief Minister, signed by prominent literary figures such as Ambai, Paul Zacharia, Perumal Murugan, historians AR Venkatachalapathy, and Stalin Rajangam, musician TM Krishna, academic Rajan Krishnan, and publisher Kannan Sundaram, condemned Seshadri's remarks but emphasized that his arrest was disproportionate and impinged on the freedom of expression.

"Badri Seshadri's outburst deserves unequivocal condemnation. However, we strongly believe that arrest is an extreme reaction to such an infringement and goes against the spirit of the constitutional assurance of freedom of expression," the letter stated.

The writers and historians invoked the Dravidian model of governance, inspired by the ideals of Thanthai Periyar, Arignar Anna, and Kalaignar Karunanidhi, which they claimed is strongly committed to the freedom of expression. They urged the Tamil Nadu government to set an exemplary model in this matter, differentiating itself from other state governments in the Indian Union.