Justice G. Jayachandran of the Madras High Court, in a non-binding statement, has pointed out that the Tamil Nadu police failed in their duty by not taking action against Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekarbabu for their participation in a conference aimed at the “annihilation of Sanatana Dharma” in Chennai on 2 September 2023.
The judge expressed, “Given the police’s inaction against those making inflammatory speeches to eradicate Sanatana Dharma, the petitioner is now seeking permission to organize a meeting aimed at countering the Dravidian ideology.”
This observation was made in the context of dismissing a petition filed by Magesh Karthikeyan from Thiruverkadu in Chennai.
Justice Jayachandran emphasized, “No one can expect courts to aid them to propagate ideas to create ill-will among the public. Some members of the ruling party and ministers took part in the meeting aimed at eradicating Sanatana Dharma, yet the police have not taken any action, which is dereliction of duty on the part of the police.”
Furthermore, he stated, “Acceding to the petitioner’s request would likely lead to further disruptions in the peace and tranquility of the public.”
The judge rejected the petitioner’s argument that conducting a meeting against the Dravidian ideology was his fundamental right, asserting that, “No person in this country can have a right to propagate divisive ideas and conduct a meeting to abolish or eradicate any ideology. The co-existence of multiple and different ideologies is the identity of this country. This court is of the view that a person in power should realise the danger of speech [causing] fissiparous tendency and behave responsibly and restrain themselves from propagating views which will divide people in the name of ideology, caste and religion. Instead, they may concentrate on eradicating intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health, corruption, untouchability, and other social evils”.
Sanatana Dharma row | Failure of Tamil Nadu police to act against Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin & Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Minister PK Sekarbabu amounts to dereliction of duty, says Justice G Jayachandran of #MadrasHighCourt @THChennaihttps://t.co/QnEyqnPewc
— Mohamed Imranullah S (@imranhindu) November 6, 2023
The Sanatana Dharma Controversy
The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association organized the “Eradicate Sanatana Conference” on 2 September 2023 at Kamarajar Arangam, Teynampet, Chennai.
Santana or Sanatana Dharma is the original name of what we know and call as the Hindu religion today.
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also a Minister in his father’s cabinet attended the event. Ironically, the meeting was also attended by Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister PK Sekarbabu.
Speaking at the “Eradicate Sanatan Conclave”, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said “The title of this conference has been excellently coined. You’ve named it as ‘Abolish Sanatanam Conference’ and not ‘Oppose Sanatanam Conference’, so my best wishes to that.”
“Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. Same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciations to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting.“, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, has firmly refused to apologize for his comment characterizing Sanatana Dharma as a disease that should be eliminated. He has reiterated his readiness to face any legal consequences for his statements.
Following the massive backlash, MK Stalin himself had asked his party leaders to refrain from making anymore statements on Sanatana Dharma. However, Udhayanidhi Stalin did not to heed his father’s advice. He had reiterated that the party (DMK) was formed with the goal of eradicating Sanathana Dharma and will continue to work towards achieving it.
But, earlier in October 2023, in an affidavit submitted to the Madras High Court court, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that he made the eradicate Sanatana Dharma remarks in “personal capacity” and not as a Minister.
Very recently, Senior Counsel P. Wilson, representing Udhyanidhi Stalin in a quo warranto petition filed by members of Hindu Munnani, refused to submit a video clip of Udhayanidhi’s speech as instructed by Justice Anita Sumanth.
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