SC issues notice to DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin over his Sanatan Dharma remarks

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks on Sanatan Dharma which sparked major controversy in the country earlier this month. The apex court sought responses from the Tamil Nadu government and Stalin on a plea seeking an FIR against him for his “eradicate Sanatan Dharma” remark. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued notices on a plea filed by B Jagannath seeking an FIR against the Tamil Nadu minister on 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. Stalin, who serves as a Tamil Nadu minister, made a controversial statement on ‘Sanatan Dharma’ saying that it is incompatible with the concept of social justice and should be “eliminated.” He drew a parallel between Sanatan Dharma and vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, which has led to strong criticism from BJP leaders. Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the minister allegedly asked school students to say that this religion is not good and that the other religion is good. “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. Stalin and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge have been booked under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur. With inputs from agencies