'You Abuse Your Right, You Are Not A Layman': SC To Udhayanidhi Stalin On His Remark On Sanatana Dharma (Photo on X Udhay @Udhaystalin)

Supreme Court (SC) today slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son and Youth Welfare minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remark calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma. Udhayanidhi Stalin in a conference in 2023 said that the Sanatana Dharma is against social justice and equality and hence should be eradicated. The Court was hearing the DMK leader”s petition seeking to club First Information Reports (FIR)s against him in multiple states over his remark on Sanatana Dharma.

A bench consisting of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and justice Dipankar Datta rebuked the DMK leader for making the alleged remarks. The Court while adjourning the matter to March 15 expressed its displeasure over the Tamil Nadu minister”s statement saying that he abused his right under Article 19 of the constitution.

“You abuse your right under Article 19(1)(a) (of the Constitution). You abuse your right under Article 25. Now you are exercising your right under Article 32 (to file a plea in the Supreme Court)? Do you not know the consequences of what you said? You are not a layman. You are a minister. You should know the consequences,” the bench said.

After Udhayanidhi Stalin made the remark in September 2023, he had faced criticism on social media. The BJP leaders accused the Congress of supporting a genocidal call against Sanatana Dharma. The DMK is part of the INDIA bloc led by the Congress.

However, after the BJP’s accusation of a genocidal call by the Udhayanidhi Stalin against Sanatana Dharma, he had  responded saying that he did not call for the genocide of those who follow Sanatana Dharma. He said that the Sanatana Dharma caused division among people based on caste and religion. He justified his statement by saying that the Sanatana Dharma is fundamentally opposed to equality and social justice. The DMK leader also noted Dr BR Ambedkar and social activist’s Periyar studies proving his claim, and said that he is ready to present their studies on Sanatana Dharma and its negative impacts on society.

“I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatana Dharma and its negative impact on society in any forum. Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, Dengue, and Malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatana Dharma is responsible for many social evils,” Udhayanidhi Stalin wrote in a social media post last year.

However, the court had initially asked the DMK leader to move to the High Court and then it said to list the case to March 15 for hearing.