New Delhi, Jan 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to proceed against Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.
The court dismissed three writ petitions filed against him, which sought to declare his speech unconstitutional and requested the registration of an FIR for alleged hate speech.
The petitions, filed by Advocate B. Jagannath and two others, challenged Stalin’s speech made on September 2, 2023, in Chennai.
The petitioners argued that the speech violated Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion. They also sought directions from the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to register a First Information Report (FIR) and take action against him.
When the matter was heard today by a bench comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Prasanna B. Varale, the State’s counsel, Mr Mukul Rohatgi, contended that the writ petitions were not maintainable.
Appearing for Udhayanidhi Stalin, Senior Advocate P. Wilson strongly opposed the petitioners’ prayers.
After hearing the arguments, the bench raised concerns regarding the maintainability of the petitions under Article 32.
Observing that the petitions did not satisfy the grounds required for invoking the court’s writ jurisdiction, the bench decided to dismiss them.
Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing the petitioners, acknowledged the court’s observations and sought permission to withdraw the petitions with the liberty to pursue remedies under other legal provisions. Granting this liberty, the court formally dismissed all three writ petitions.
The dismissal is seen as a significant legal victory for Udhayanidhi Stalin, as the Supreme Court declined to entertain the petitions or direct any action against him for his alleged remarks on Sanatana Dharma.
