Supreme Court Dismisses Pleas Against Udhayanidhi Stalin Regarding 'Sanatan Dharm'
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Synopsis
The Supreme Court has declined to consider petitions seeking legal action against Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his controversial remarks about 'Sanatan Dharm'. The bench questioned the maintainability of the petitions and ultimately dismissed them, allowing the petitioners to explore other legal remedies.
Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court dismissed pleas against Udhayanidhi Stalin.
- The controversial remarks were made during a conference in September 2023.
- Stalin stated 'Sanatan Dharma' should be eradicated like diseases.
- The court deemed the petitions unmaintainable under Article 32.
- Stalin is also facing multiple FIRs and threats to his life.
New Delhi, Jan 27 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain petitions calling for legal actions, including the filing of an FIR, against Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding his controversial remarks on 'Sanatan Dharm'.
During a conference in Chennai in September 2023, the then sports and youth affairs minister stated, "Sanatana Dharma is against social justice and equality, and it should be 'eradicated' like malaria and dengue."
A bench consisting of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and P.B. Varale questioned the maintainability of the writ petitions filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
In response to the apex court's unwillingness to consider the plea, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing B. Jagannath and two other petitioners, requested permission to withdraw the petitions.
The petition was ultimately dismissed as withdrawn, granting the petitioners the liberty to pursue other legal remedies.
The Supreme Court is also currently reviewing a plea from Stalin Jr requesting the consolidation of various FIRs and complaints that have been lodged against him concerning his controversial remarks.
Agreeing to consider the plea, a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna (now CJI) sought responses from several state governments on the matter.
The plea argued that the DMK leader has been receiving threats to his life and faces considerable challenges in appearing before multiple police stations and courts across different regions.
Udhayanidhi Stalin had articulated at a Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers event that Sanatan Dharma goes against social justice, asserting that it must be eradicated like mosquitoes, dengue, malaria, or even corona.
The Tamil Nadu minister stated, "It (Sanatan Dharma) must be eradicated rather than merely opposed." Subsequently, he declined to apologize for his comments, emphasizing, "I will continue to say this."
Previously, the apex court indicated that it would not entertain a plea for contempt action against Stalin Jr concerning his controversial statements, noting that it would be "impossible" to address individual cases nationwide.
"If we begin entertaining contempt cases, we will be inundated with them. We will not delve into individual matters," the court remarked.
