The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain three writ petitions seeking criminal action against Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his controversial speech in September 2023 about ‘Sanatana Dharma.’
A bench comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Prasanna B. Varale expressed disinclination to entertain the matter, asking how the writ petitions under Article 32 of the Constitution could be maintained.
The Court was hearing the writ petitions filed by B. Jagannath, Vineet Jindal, and Sanatan Suraksha Parishad, arguing that Udhayanidhi’s comment on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ amounted to “hate speech” and offended their religious sentiments.
Another petitioner, Vineet Jindal, sought action against DMK MP A. Raja, who publicly supported Udhayanidhi’s comments. The other petitioner, Sanatan Suraksha Parishad, sought guidelines to prevent communal remarks by elected representatives.
Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu appeared for the petitioners, while Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the State of Tamil Nadu and Senior Advocate P. Wilson for Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, for the petitioners, then sought permission to withdraw the petitions with liberty to pursue other remedies. Accordingly, the petitions were dismissed as withdrawn, granting the petitioners liberty to avail alternative remedies under the law.
However, petitioner B. Jagannath sought a direction restraining Stalin and others from making further remarks about ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and a declaration that the speech was unconstitutional.
In September 2023, Udhayanidhi compared ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases like malaria and dengue. He also advocated for its elimination on the grounds that it was rooted in the caste system and historical discrimination. Following this, several criminal complaints were registered against Udhayanidhi, as well as pleas being filed in the Supreme Court seeking action against him.
Paramhans Acharya, a seer from Ayodhya, even announced a reward of Rs 10 crore for anyone who beheads Udhayanidhi, releasing a video in which he staged a symbolic beheading of Udhayanidhi.
