Former judges, government officials, and war veterans have collectively written a letter to the Chief Justice of India, urging him to initiate suo motu proceedings in response to the hate speech delivered by DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin who had equated ‘Sanatan Dharma’ to diseases and mosquitoes and called for its eradication.
The letter addressed to CJI Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud highlights the concern that Udhayanidhi’s comments have the potential to incite communal disharmony and sectarian violence.
Speaking at the ‘Eradicate Sanatana Conclave’ event organized by Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers & Artists Association, 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.”
He further said “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.”
The letter signed by 262 eminent citizens including former High Court judges, Chief Secretaries, Ambassadors, urged the Chief Justice of India to take note of the DMK Minister’s hate speech highlighting he recent order of the Supreme Court in Shaheen Abdulla Vs Union of India case, in which it directed the governments and police authorities to take suo motu action in such cases without waiting for the lodging of formal complaints.
“Not only did he make a hate speech but Udhayanidhi Stalin refused to apologize for his remarks. Rather he justified himself by stating: ‘I will say this continuously’ with reference to his remarks that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated. He reiterated that he stands by his remarks and offered ambiguities and nuances that did little to address the concerns raised by people.”, the letter stated.
The letter also highlights that the actions of the Tamil Nadu State Government are in direct contradiction to the Supreme Court of India’s rulings in the cases of Shaheen Abdulla v. Union of India and Ors. and Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay v. Union of India. In these cases, State Governments were explicitly directed to take suo motu action against hate speech crimes without requiring a formal complaint.
Given the refusal of the State Government to take action and its disregard for the Court’s orders, the letter implores the Hon’ble Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of contempt. It called for holding the State Government of Tamil Nadu accountable for its inaction and for undermining the rule of law. The letter seeks decisive measures to prevent the spread of hate speech, preserve public order and peace, and requests the CJI to take immediate appropriate actions in this matter.
Over 260 eminent citizens write to Chief Justice of India urging him to take suo moto cognisance of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's Hateful speech against #SanatanaDharma that could incite communal disharmony and sectarian violence pic.twitter.com/9tVdSJFGkv
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) September 5, 2023
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