The Madras High Court, on Sunday, November 16, remanded actor Kasthuri Shankar to judicial custody until November 29. Her arrest follows the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court denying her anticipatory bail in a case related to derogatory remarks allegedly targeting the Telugu community.
Kasthuri was taken into custody on Saturday night 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 Ragupathy Raja issued the remand order. She was subsequently admitted to the Puzhal prison.
According to police sources, Kasthuri had been staying at the Hyderabad residence of Telugu film producer Hari Krishnan. She allegedly used the producer’s mobile phone to communicate with her family and legal counsel.
Kasthuri was charged under under Sections 192 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community), 353(1)(b) (criminal intimidation) and 353(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The controversy stems from remarks made by her on November 3 at a Brahmin gathering in Chennai.
She claimed that Telugu-speaking women who came to Tamil Nadu as ‘concubines’ to kings, are claiming to be Tamils and attacking Brahmins as ‘invaders’. Her comments sparked widespread criticism, prompting a member of the Naidu Mahajana Sangam State Executive Committee to file an FIR against her.
In response to the backlash, Kasthuri issued an apology claiming that “false news” was being spread by “Tamil Nadu’s Goebbels and the anti-Hindu DMK network.” She also expressed her love and loyalty to the Telugu community, stating that the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would not believe such false narratives.
On November 14, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed Kasthuri’s anticipatory bail plea. Justice Anand Venkatesh described her comments as “unwarranted” and found her apology inadequate, as it did not directly address the offensive remarks against women in the Telugu community. The court remarked that Kasthuri “should have refrained from speaking against the women of the Telugu community.”
Kasthuri argued that the FIR was politically motivated and accused the ruling DMK government of having an “intolerant and vindictive attitude” toward her. She maintained that her remarks neither incited unrest nor provoked the Telugu community. She clarified that her comments were aimed at exposing the DMK’s “outsider politics,” which she claimed stigmatises Brahmins while ignoring the historical migrations of other groups into Tamil Nadu. Kasthuri stated that her remarks referred to “staff of consorts,” not “descendants of consorts,” citing historical references, including DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s acknowledgement of the migration of artisans and musicians.
Kasthuri further accused the DMK of promoting “Brahmin persecution, Sanatana opposition, and Hindu god humiliation” and labelled their stance as “anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin, and anti-Sanatana.” Kasthuri, who actively campaigned for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, faced criticism from the party which distanced itself from her remarks and condemned her statements.