Sanatan row: SC issues notice to Udhayanidhi, Tamil Nadu government
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Tamil Nadu government, the state's cabinet minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP A Raja, among others, over Udhayanidhi's comments calling for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma. The bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued the notices based on a petition seeking an FIR against Udhayanidhi for his remarks. The bench also observed that the petitioner could have approached the jurisdictional high court first.
Why does this story matter?
This development is likely to add to the troubles faced by Udhayanidhi and the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Udhayanidhi is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, the chief of the DMK, a constituent of the INDIA bloc. The opposition bloc is battling the "anti-Hindu" label that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has tried to slap on it to weaken it before the upcoming state assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls.
What did Udhayanidhi say?
B Jagannath, a lawyer practicing at the Madras High Court, filed the petition through Advocate-on-Record Gopalan Balaji. The petition alleges that the conference—named Sanatan Abolition Conference—organized by the Tamil Nadu Murpoku Ezuthalar Sangam, where Udhayanidhi delivered the controversial speech, was unconstitutional. Speaking at the conference, Udhayanidhi said, "We cannot oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or coronavirus. We have to eradicate this; that is how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated."
State government launched tirade against Sanatan Dharma: Petitoner's counsel
Hearing the petition, the SC bench said, "Why are you here? You go to the high court...You are transforming us into a police station." However, the petitioner's counsel argued that the state government itself unleashed a "tirade against a particular religion" and forced children to speak against it; therefore, the SC is the only remedy. He claimed that the state authorities issued a circular directing children to speak against Sanatan Dharma.
No FIR would mean state biased against Hindus: Petition
The petition further said that Udhayanidhi's statement was a textbook case of "hate speech." The plea argued that if no FIR is filed against Udhayanidhi and the conference's organizers, it would be clear that the state was biased and discriminating against Hindus. The petitioner cited a 2018 SC judgment mandating the appointment of a nodal officer to curb hate speeches and lodge FIRs wherever necessary, but the Tamil Nadu government hasn't complied with the order yet.
2 more pleas against Udhayanidhi pending before SC
In total, 14 respondents have been included in the plea. They include Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Minister Sekar Babu, DMK president K Veeramani, and Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission chairman Peter Alphonse. At least two more pleas against Udhayanidhi are pending before different SC benches. While several quarters of the Hindu right-wing have threatened action against Udhayanidhi for his remarks, he has refused to apologize, saying that he is "ready to face any legal challenge."
