Corporation councillor willing to express regret for abusing and body shaming Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, her counsel tells Madras High Court

The judge said, the apology, if any, to be made by the councillor should be made in a public platform since a video clip of the speech had gone viral on the social media. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

Greater Chennai Corporation councillor Sudha Deenadalayan of DMK is willing to file an affidavit expressing regret for having abused and body shamed Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay by comparing his looks with that of former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, her counsel told the Madras High Court on Wednesday (October 28, 2026).

Arguing an anticipatory bail petition before Justice N. Ramesh, the counsel said, DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Rajathi Karunanidhi had disapproved of the speech made at an event organised by the party’s women’s wing in Chennai on October 7, 2026 and thereafter, the councillor had expressed regret.

When the judge said, the apology, if any, to be made by the councillor should be made in a public platform since a video clip of the speech had gone viral on the social media, the petitioner’s counsel sought a day’s time to file an affidavit. Accepting his request, the judge adjourned the hearing to Thursday (October 29, 2026).

Opposing her plea for advance bail, State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan told the court that the offences for which a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against her at the Esplanade police station on October 19, 2026 get squarely attracted and hence, she would not be entitled to discretionary relief from the court.

“Breach of peace or war (between cadres of different political parties) need not always start on the streets. It starts in the social media first. In this case, the fight started in the social media. This had got the potential to spill over on the streets too because of the manner in which the words were uttered,” the SPP said.

“As my learned friend said, even their own leader (Ms. Kanimozhi) did not acknowledge the words spoken by her (the petitioner). Therefore, the gravity of what was spoken by the petitioner herein stands established beyond reasonable doubt. There has been an intentional insult of the Chief Minister celebrated by the people,” he said.

Mr. Sathyan told the court that the police had issued notices twice to the councillor asking her to appear for an inquiry but she did not attend the inquiry citing her medical treatment at Bengaluru. “When she was brave enough to abuse the Chief Minister, why didn’t she attend the inquiry?” he asked.

Published - October 29, 2026 02:31 am IST