The Madurai bench of the Madras high court granted Kamal Haasan anticipatory bail on 20th May in a case filed over his controversial ‘Hindu extremist’ remark made at a recent poll rally. The court rapped him for saying that Nathuram Godse was a Hindu extremist and said that identifying a criminal with a religion, caste or race would definitely sow the seeds of hatred among people.
Kamal had remarked that the first extremist of independent India was a Hindu in an obvious reference to Godse who shot dead Mahatma Gandhi. The BJP, AIADMK and several Hindu outfits in Tamil Nadu condemned the actor-politician for his remark. Cases have been filed against him in Tamil Nadu and New Delhi.