Madras High Court sets aside conviction, imprisonment imposed on BJP leader H. Raja in two criminal cases
The Madras High Court has set aside the conviction and six-month prison sentence of BJP leader H. Raja in two criminal cases related to provocative tweets posted in 2018. The court ruled that the trial court's conviction could not be sustained, overturning the previous verdict.
Why it matters
The ruling impacts the legal standing of political figures involved in hate speech or provocation cases and highlights the judicial review process in India.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) allowed a couple of criminal appeals filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader H. Raja and set aside his conviction as well as six months of simple imprisonment imposed on him by a trial court in 2024 in two criminal cases.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan concurred with the arguments of senior counsel N. Ananthapadmanabhan, representing the appellant, that the conviction and sentences imposed by a special court for MP/MLA cases in Chennai on December 2, 2024, could not be sustained.
The first case against Mr. Raja was related to a tweet reportedly posted on his X handle on April 18, 2018, containing offensive remarks with a veiled reference to former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and his daughter Kanimozhi , who was then a Rajya Sabha member and now a Lok Sabha member representing the Thoothukudi constituency.
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