New Delhi: Reporters and opposition politicians have criticised the Tamil Nadu police’s July 29 arrest of a political commentator over critical comments he made about the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.Police arrested the founder of the Kizhakku Pathippagam publishing house, Badri Seshadri, from his house in Chennai, after a lawyer Kaviyarasu, of Kadur village in Perambalur district lodged a complaint against his comments to a YouTube channel, The Hindu Frontline has reported.Seshadri was speaking of the CJI in the context of the ethnic violence in Manipur, and had questioned – referring to the CJI’s comment that the apex court would be forced to interfere in the issue if the Union government did not take appropriate action – whether judges have the knowledge of Manipur’s ground realities to be able to judge the situation.“He went on to question whether the CJI would dare to stand in Manipur wielding a gun,” South First has reported.News Minute has additionally reported that Seshadri said in the interview that all the problems in Manipur started because of the Manipur high court’s decision on Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community.Police have filed cases under sections 153 and 153A (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot and promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.,) and 505 (1),(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity) of the Indian Penal Code, according to the report.The Kunnam judicial magistrate court has remanded him to judicial custody until August 11.Among opposition parties, the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party unit has been vocal against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, over the arrest.Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai has tweeted that the DMK government is “unable to respond to the opinions of ordinary people and is resorting to arrests.”புகழ்பெற்ற பதிப்பாளர், மேடைப் பேச்சாளர் திரு @bseshadri அவர்களை தமிழக காவல்துறை இன்று அதிகாலை கைது செய்துள்ளதை @BJP4TamilNadu வன்மையாகக் கண்டிக்கிறது. சாமானிய மக்களின் கருத்துக்களை எதிர்கொள்ள திராணியற்று கைது நடவடிக்கையை மட்டுமே நம்பி இருக்கிறது இந்த ஊழல் திமுக அரசு. ஊழல்…— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) July 29, 2023South First has reported how the Madras Reporters Guild has spoken out against the arrest. The Guild demanded his immediate release, stressing that no matter how unpalatable or derogatory his comments may have been, there was no grounds for arrest.“The government had the option to file a case against the writer and allow the law to take its own course, rather than take recourse to arrest, which comes in the way of freedom of speech and expression as well as civil liberties,” it said.Historian Ramachandra Guha has tweeted that the “arbitrary or vindictive arrest” of writers is wrong.The arbitrary or vindictive arrest of writers is wrong, regardless of which party or Government is in power. The defence of intellectual freedoms cannot be conditioned by political partisanship. I urge writers in Tamil Nadu to ask MK Stalin to release Badri Seshadri immediately.— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) July 29, 2023