Senior BJP leader H. Raja has been sentenced to six months in prison in two separate cases related to his derogatory remarks against DMK MP Kanimozhi and his threat to demolish the statues of rationalist leader Periyar (E.V. Ramasamy). The Additional Special Court for MP/MLA cases, led by Judge G. Jayavel, convicted and sentenced Raja in cases filed by the Erode district police following complaints from the DMK and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK). These complaints stemmed from comments Raja made on Twitter in 2018.

The court sentenced Raja to six months of imprisonment and a ₹2,000 fine for making derogatory comments about Kanimozhi. In a separate case, he was handed another six-month sentence and a ₹3,000 fine for threatening to pull down Periyar’s statues.

Despite the conviction, the judge suspended Raja’s sentence for 30 days, allowing him time to appeal the ruling. Raja had previously attempted to have the FIRs quashed by the Madras High Court, but his efforts were unsuccessful. In 2023, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh rejected his plea, citing Raja’s history of making controversial statements.

Raja had approached the High Court again in 2024, but Justice G. Jayachandran dismissed his petitions, affirming that the cases were based on factual evidence and for that Raja should face trial. The judge also ordered the MP/MLA court to expedite the trial proceedings, which would lead to a swift conclusion of the cases.

The sentence serves as a significant legal development for Raja, who has faced continuous legal challenges over his inflammatory comments.