High Court quashes case against Ph.D degree holder

25/03/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

Bringing relief to a Ph.D degree holder, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court quashed a criminal case pending against him for his remarks against Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli.

He had posted certain remarks on the social media against his alma mater, pointing out irregularities in the administration of the university. The petitioner sought to quash the criminal case pending against him after a complaint was lodged by the Registrar of the university with Pettai police.

Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed that the petitioner’s relationship with the university was not all that smooth. It was the comment on the management of the university that triggered the institution to lodge a complaint against him, the court said.

Taking into account the fact that the petitioner, J. Mohammed Khan, had a bedridden mother dependent on him and he was eking out a livelihood by working as a parotta master, the court quashed the criminal case against him.

The petitioner appeared before the court to clarify and give an undertaking that he would be careful and measured while posting comments on the social media. The court said that the petitioner ought not be entangled in a criminal prosecution merely because he made an offending social media post.