Actor Kasturi was remanded in custody until November 29

On Sunday, November 16, the Madras High Court remanded actress Kasturi Shankar in judicial custody till November 29. Her arrest came after the Madurai Division Bench of the Madras High Court denied her anticipatory bail in a case related to derogatory remarks allegedly made against the Telugu community.

Kasturi was taken into custody on Saturday evening by a special police team from Egmore and transported by road from Hyderabad to Chennai. She was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court-V in Egmore, where Magistrate Raghupathi Raja issued a remand order. Later, she was placed in the Puzhal prison.

According to police sources, Kasturi was staying at the Hyderabad residence of Telugu film producer Hari Krishnan. She allegedly used the producer’s cell phone to communicate with her family and lawyer.

Kasturi was charged under sections 192 (Unreasonable provocation with intent to cause riot), 196(1)(a) (inciting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, domicile, language, caste or community), 353(1) (b) (criminal intimidation) and 353(2) (criminal intimidation) Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The controversy arose over remarks she made on November 3 at a Brahmin gathering in Chennai.

she claimed that Telugu-speaking women who came to Tamil Nadu as “concubines” of kings claim to be Tamils ​​and attack Brahmins as “invaders”. Her comments drew widespread criticism, prompting state executive committee member Naidu Mahajan Sangam to lodge an FIR against her.

In response to the backlash, Kasturi apologized, saying that “fake news” was being spread by the “Goebbels of Tamil Nadu and the anti-Hindu DMK network”. She also expressed her love and devotion to the Telugu community, saying that the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will not believe such false stories.

On November 14, a bench of the Madurai High Court rejected Kasturi’s bail plea. Judge Anand Venkatesh called her comments “unwarranted” and found her apology inadequate as it did not directly address offensive remarks against women in the Telugu community. The court said that Kasturi had “been instructed to refrain from speaking against women from the Telugu community”.

Kasturi alleged that the FIR was politically motivated and accused the ruling DMK government of being “intolerant and vindictive” towards her. She maintained that her remarks did not incite riots or provoke the Telugu community. She clarified that her comments were aimed at exposing the DMK’s “outsider politics”, which she claimed stigmatizes Brahmins while ignoring the historical migrations of other groups into Tamil Nadu. Kasturi said her remarks were about “wives’ staff” and not “wives’ descendants”, citing historical references, including the admission of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi migration of artisans and musicians.

Kasturi further accused the DMK of promoting “persecution of Brahmins, opposition to Sanatana and denigration of Hindu gods” and termed their stand as “anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin and anti-Sanatan”. Kasturi, who campaigned heavily for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, faced criticism from the party, which distanced itself from her remarks and condemned her statements.