Chennai. Days after Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje apologised for her remarks on the Rameswaram cafe blast case in Bengaluru, the Madras High Court on Thursday quashed the criminal case registered against her in Tamil Nadu.
Justice G. Jayachandran passed the order after the Tamil Nadu government told the bench that it had taken a policy decision to accept Karandlaje’s apology. The state government said it did not want to pursue the matter further.
After the low-intensity blast at a popular eatery in Bengaluru on March 1, Karandlaje had linked the incident to the people of Tamil Nadu and later the Madurai police registered a case against him in the matter. The Union minister had moved the court to quash the criminal proceedings against him. In his affidavit filed before a bench of Justice Jayachandran, Karandlaje said that the remarks made about the people of Tamil Nadu were not intended to hurt their sentiments.
She said she had already withdrawn her previous comments and “heartily apologised through social media platforms.” She said, “I submit that I have the highest respect for the history, rich culture, tradition and people of Tamil Nadu and I had no intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu by any of my conduct.” The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment said, “Therefore, I once again apologise to the people of Tamil Nadu for my comments. Please take it on record in the interest of justice.”