'A Biased Statement From Biased Judge': BJP's Uma Anandan Condemns And Tears Justice Chandru's Report In Chennai Corporation Council Meeting

On 24 June 2024, BJP councillor Uma Anandan walked out of the Chennai Corporation council meeting, the first meeting held after the 2024 general elections, in protest against Justice K Chandru’s recent report on eliminating caste discrimination in schools.

During the meeting, Uma Anandan tore up a copy of the report, causing a commotion among the council members. Uma Anandan condemned the former high court judge’s report, labelling it as biased.

She also criticised the council for not addressing other caste-based issues, such as the exclusion of certain castes from a Christian crematorium in Tirupur’s Palladam area.

She expressed her frustration to the media, saying, “Justice Chandru should have spoken about this. A biased statement from a biased judge. The Chennai City Council should condemn Justice Chandru’s statement. They did not condemn it, so I tore up the judge’s report.”

Anandan further criticised the council’s focus on praising Udhayanidhi Stalin, the chief minister’s son, instead of addressing pressing issues.

She remarked, “Why do we need to talk about this at this time? Why are you singing praises to Udhayanidhi Stalin? It’s understandable for the chief minister, but why praise Udhayanidhi?”

The incident prompted VCK councillor Ambedvalavan to demand that Mayor R Priya ban Uma Anandan from attending council meetings for the next three months.

His request received unanimous support from all DMK councillors. However, no decision on the matter has been publicly announced yet.

Uma Anandan's actions and comments have caused a significant stir within the council and among the public. TN BJP leaders and executives have voiced strong opposition to Justice Chandru’s report, noting that it appeared to be anti-Hindu and criticised only Hindu customs and traditions.

Justice K Chandru (retired) recently submitted an exhaustive report to the Tamil Nadu government to prevent violent caste clashes among students, particularly school students.

The one-man committee's recommendation to prohibit students from wearing coloured wristbands, rings, or forehead marks (tilak), claiming that these articles serve as caste identities has led to severe criticism and controversy.