Kamal Haasan who was pulled up for his comments on the Mahabharat by a petitioner in court, can breathe easy.
The District Court in Kumbakonam on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the district secretary of HinduMakkal Katchi (HMK) for wasting its time by filing a frivolous petition seeking action against actor KamalHaasan. The petitioner K Bala, District Secretary, HMK, in his petitioner filed on March 24 had demanded maximum punishment for actor Kamal Haasan, besides slapping a fine, for having made derogatory remarks against the Mahabarata in an interview with a private TV channel .
When the petition came up for hearing on Thursday, the honorable judge dismissed the petition stating that there was no prima facie to prove the charge. The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the petitioner for wasting its time by filing afrivolous petition for his personal publicity. The petitioner is learnt to be in the habit of filing such petitions for publicity. He has also filed a petition against actress Kushboo already, the judge said. The judge also ordered the petitioner Bala to remit the fine amount in the bank account exclusively opened for removingKaruvela trees and submit the receipt before the court in a period of one week.
Reacting to the historic court verdict Kamal Haasan says, “This could be the turning point all of us have been looking for in the relationship between fearless speech and nuisance litigation. For too long now, voices of people who make a difference have been silenced by protesters and naysayers who have no reason to stop people from speaking their mind except to get noticed by doing so.”
Kamal Haasan cites the example of his favourite Urdu writer whose voice was similarly stifled. “If SadatHaasan Manto’s voice had not been silenced he may have lived another ten years and I’d have been able to meet my mentor . It requires a fierce amount of self-determination to stand up to the bullies who pelt stones at voices of dissent. In my case I am pelted with boulders. But these boulder only make me bolder.I won’t be silenced. To me silence is death.”
Khushboo who was judicially challenged by the same trouble maker who protested against Kamal Haasan’sMahabarat comment says these humbug litigation and petitions that clutter our courts must stop. “Such protests only show how such hungry-for-two-minute-fame fringe groups wait for an opportunity to harass people who have a voice. I wonder why these so-called saviours of the God never find anything against those who keep making remarks and comments about women and other religions.The courts should punish and impose fines on such creeps who waste the time of the courts.
