Chennai Court Recalls Non-Bailable Warrant Against Former Minister Ponmudi After He Voluntarily Surrenders
Upasana Sajeev
7 Aug 2026 4:00 PM IST
The Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in George Town, Chennai, has recalled the Non-Bailable warrant issued against former Minister Ponmudi in a hate speech case registered against him for making allegedly derogatory remarks against Saivism, Vaishnavism, and women.
Judge C Sundarapandian has recalled the warrant issued by him yesterday after the former Minister voluntarily surrendered before the court. The court allowed a surrender petition filed by Ponmudi and a petition to recall the warrant under Section 72(2) of the BNSS. The court has now posted the case to 13th August for questioning
"Accused voluntary Surrendered. Surrender petition in Crl.M.P 4037/2026 is allowed. Advance Hearing Petition in Crl.M.P 4036/2026 is allowed. Hearing Advanced. Petition to Re Call Warrant U/s 72(2) of BNSS filed by Learned Counsel for Accused in Crl.M.P 4038/2026 is allowed. Sureties furnished by Accused U/s 88 Cr.P.C. For Questioning. At request call on 13.08.2026," the court wrote in its order.
It may be noted that while issuing the non-bailable warrant, the court had noted that though Ponmudi had sought condonation of absence on the grounds of illness, no medical records had been produced to evidence the same. The judge had also noted that a plea filed by Ponmudi challenging the order of the Magistrate taking cognisance of the offence had been dismissed by the High Court in July this year, and the trial court was directed to complete the trial within a period of 6 months. Thus, the judge opined that Ponmudi's absence would hinder the proceedings.
Later, the court closed the suo motu proceedings when the State informed the court that all the complaints had been duly investigated and closed since there was no material. While closing the suo motu case, the court gave liberty to the complainants to approach the concerned jurisdictional magistrates against the closure of complaints.
BJP's Uma Anandan later filed a complaint before the Metropolitan Magistrate under Sections 196 (1)(a) [promoting enmity between different groups], Section 299 [Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class], and Section 300 [disturbing religious assembly] of the BNS. The Magistrate's Court took cognisance of the complaint and issued summons after noting that there was a prima facie case and the objections raised by Ponmudi were a matter of trial.
Case Title: Uma Anandan v K Ponmudy
Case No: CC 222/2026
