She was arrested from Gachibowli around 8.30 pm, and the Egmore police special team will take her to Chennai on a transit warrant.
Published Nov 17, 2024 | 12:07 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 17, 2024 | 12:07 AM
Actor Kasthuri was arrested from Hyderabad on Saturday, 17 November.
The Egmore police arrested actor Kasthuri in Hyderabad on Saturday, 16 November, two days after the Madurai Bench on the Madras High Court rejected her anticipatory bail petition in a hate-speech case.
She was arrested from Gachibowli around 8.30 pm, and the Egmore police special team will take her to Chennai on a transit warrant.
The movie artist has been accused of making derogatory comments about the ancestry of the Telugu Community. She was speaking at a demonstration organised by the Hindu Makkal Katchi in Egmore on 3 November.
Addressing the event, she also called for a new law to protect Brahmins. She reportedly said that the Telugu-speaking people, who had come to service the Tamil kings’ courtesans, were now claiming to be of Tamil ancestry.
Following her remarks, complaints were lodged at multiple police stations across the state. The All India Telugu Federation also approached the police in Egmore with a complaint.
The Egmore police formed two teams to search for Kasthuri after her house in Chennai was found locked. Meanwhile, the actor moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail.
Justice Anand Venkatesh of the Madurai Bench observed that she had portrayed Telugu-speaking people in a bad light.
“Freedom of speech is a fundamental right. At the same time, in the name of freedom of speech, hate should not be spread or create social conflict,” he added.
The court’s order also said, “Consequences for hate speech must be faced”.
Earlier, the judge orally remarked that the comments were completely unwarranted and that Kasthuri should have refrained from speaking against the women of the Telugu community.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
