K. Ponmudi, a former Minister, filed a Criminal Revision Petition before the Madras High Court challenging an order dated 23.02.2026 by the III Metropolitan Magistrate, George Town, Chennai, which took cognizance of a private complaint and issued summons to him. The respondent, Uma Anandan, alleged that Ponmudi delivered a hate speech on 06.04.2025 at a DMK Youth Wing event that was later uploaded on YouTube, thereby promoting enmity against the Hindu religion and outraging religious feelings, attracting offences under Sections 196(i)(a), 299, and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The petitioner argued that no offence was made out on the facts, that prior sanction under Section 217 of the BNSS was mandatory before cognizance could be taken, and that Section 302 BNS could not apply as the respondent neither personally heard nor witnessed the speech. The respondent countered that the speech was widely circulated on social media, that the Madras High Court had itself taken suo motu cognizance in W.P.Crl. No.610 of 2025 and directed investigation, and that after police filed a closure report the complainant was directed to file a private complaint, making further sanction unnecessary. The judgment text provided ends before the final order is pronounced, so the ultimate outcome is not discernible from the text supplied.