SC to hear plea seeking FIR against minister Stalin for anti-Sanatan remark

A plea has been filed seeking an FIR and a restraining order on Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks to 'eradicate' Sanatan Dharma

The Supreme Court has sent a notice to Tamil Nadu minister for youth welfare and sports development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, regarding a plea seeking action against him for remarks made against Sanatan Dharma.

The TN minister on September 2 stated that "Sanatan Dharma should not merely be opposed but eradicated." 

Despite Stalin later clarifying that he was not against the Hindu religion but practices like caste discrimination, public opinion has not turned. Udhayanidhi Stalin mentioned the incident of President Droupadi Murmu not being invited to the opening of Parliament as an example.

He did not comment on demands for an apology; instead, he stated that he would repeat the same thing again as he has included all religions and not just Hindus.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued notices on a plea filed by B Jagannath seeking a First Information Report (FIR) against the Tamil Nadu minister on the grounds that the remarks are akin to hate speech and that the top court had in similar matters passed several directions, including registration of FIR. The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Tamil Nadu government and its minister, Stalin.

Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing the petitioner, claimed that the minister allegedly encouraged school students to speak against the Hindu religion.

"This court has taken note of similar matters where individuals make such a statement against another's faith, but in this case, it is a minister making the statement. Here it is a state, which is telling the school students that so and so religion is wrong," Naidu said.

When Naidu was asked what they were seeking from the court, he responded that they were seeking a restraining order against the minister for making such statements, an FIR be registered, and to keep students out of this.

The bench said, "Although we are issuing notice, you are turning the Supreme Court into a police station by approaching it for registration of FIR. You should have gone to the high court."

Naidu said they were compelled to approach the court as Stalin is a minister and in a position of authority and power. He also added that when attempting to register an FIR, no one was willing to register it.

(With agency inputs)