The Supreme Court on Thursday restricted registering fresh FIRs against Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his “eradicate Sanatan Dharma” remark. The apex court will next hear the matter in April.
Hearing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader’s plea seeking to club FIRs registered against him, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna-led bench restricted registering fresh cases over the matter. The top court’s order comes after a new case was registered against the leader in Bihar.
#WATCH | Chennai: Tamil Nadu Dy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin arrives for the all-party meeting.
— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2025
CM MK Stalin has organised an all-party meeting today over the delimitation issue pic.twitter.com/Vj6YyrayaV
The bench comprising CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan ordered, “Interim order to continue and shall apply to the new cases added as well. We direct no further FIR to be registered on the same cause,” Bar and Bench reported. The bench will next hear the matter on April 28.
The Tamil Nadu politician is facing cases in Maharashtra, Bihar, Jammu and Karnataka over his remarks during a conference held in Chennai in 2023. Appearing for the Maharashtra government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said such comments cannot be made just because the community talked about would not react violently. “Merely because the community which was sought to be eradicated does not react violently, this cannot be said,” Mehta argued.
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Addressing a conference of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai in 2023, the deputy chief minister likened 'Sanatan Dharma' to coronavirus, malaria and dengue, and said it should be destroyed. Udhayanidhi Stalin said 'Sanatan Dharma' is against social justice and equality and should be "eradicated". The DMK leader argued in court that he was talking on the background of caste-based discrimination.
Earlier, the apex court criticised him heavily for the comments and said the Tamil Nadu minister abused his rights under Article 19(1)(a) and Article 25 of the Constitution. The bench said Udhayanidhi Stalin should have been aware of the consequences while making such statements.
