Rajnikant's anti-Jaya speech didn't encourage bribery: Madras high court

The Madras high court has ruled that South Indian superstar Rajnikant's tele-campaign on the eve of 1996 general elections cannot be termed as ''undue influence''. He had asked Tamil voters to accept the money offered by his opponents (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam workers) but not to vote for them .

It was nothing more than a ''friendly advice, suggestion or appeal'', Justice M Karpagavinayagam said.

Rajanikant made the controversial request on April 22, 1996, in a speech telecast on the Sun TV. He asked the voters to accept the Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 which the ''opponents'' offered and then refrain from voting for them.

The complainant Veeraraghavan, in his petition, claimed that Rajnikant, by making the speech, committed ''bribery, undue influence and illegal gratification''.

Justice Karpagavinayagam said it was crystal clear that the star's propaganda was to throw out the allegedly corrupt Jayalalitha Jayaram government by seeking support for the DMK-TMC combine. Had Rajnikant adviced people to take money from the combine for not voting in Jayalalitha's favour, or to vote for them (the alliance), it would have been undue influence.

The judge said the offending speech, if read fully, would not convey the impression that Rajnikant was encouraging bribery. It does not have any trace of compulsion, nor does it restrain the voter's will in anyway.

Hence, the speech does not attract punishment for the offences alleged in the complaint, the judge ruled.