Vaiko’s nomination accepted, to enter Rajya Sabha after 23 years

As part of a pre-poll agreement, DMK allocated one Rajya Sabha seat to MDMK ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Vaiko was expected to file his nomination on 6th July, but a day earlier, the special court Justice J Shanthi sentenced Vaiko to one-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 in a sedition case dating back to 2009.

The judgment had its effect on the state’s main opposition party. DMK fielded senior advocate N R Elango as a candidate for the RS poll in case Vaiko’s nomination gets rejected on scrutiny.

Though the sentence of one-year imprisonment does not disqualify Vaiko under the Representation of People’s Act, DMK nominated the fourth candidate as a precautionary measure. As Vaiko’s nomination got accepted, N R Elango is likely to withdraw his nomination by 11th July.

Speaking to reporters in MDMK’s party headquarters in Chennai today, Vaiko said: “So far in Independent, India, no one has been punished under 124 A (sedition) of the IPC, that’s the reason behind all the opinions over my eligibility to contest in RS poll came.”

The case against Vaiko dates back to 2009. According to the prosecution, during the launch of his book, ‘Kuttram Sattugiren’ (I Accuse), on July 15, 2009, Vaiko made a speech condemning the Indian government for the killings of Tamils in Sri Lanka. He further backed the LTTE and accused the Indian government of lending its support to the then Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Sri Lankan government. Following this, a case was filed at the Thousand Lights in Chennai against Vaiko under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) of the IPC.

Despite the judgment going against him, Vaiko remained unfazed and said he will continue to fight for Tamil’s rights. “Today ( 5th July) is the happiest day of my life. I never asked for a lenient judgment, unless there are poison and venom in the mind of a judge, no judge can make such a false claim about me. When Thanthai Periyar was sentenced for three years for protesting against Hindi imposition in 1938, he asked the judges to give him the maximum punishment, similarly, I asked the judges to give me the maximum punishment, life sentence or anything. I am a follower of Periyar. If my speech supporting LTTE is considered sedition, I will continue to do that,” he had said.