In a major development, the Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin, in response to a plea filed by an advocate from the Madras High Court. The plea sought a CBI investigation and an inquiry into a meeting known as the ‘Sanatan Dharma Eradication Conference,’ which took place on September 2. The petitioner also requested the filing of an FIR against Tamil Nadu.
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.
In light of this, a petition was filed by an advocate of the Madras High Court at the Supreme Court regarding the hate speech of Udhayanidhi Stalin. The petitioner of the Case title: B Jagannath v. The State of Tamil Nadu (W.P.(C) No. 001001 – /2023, Advocate B. Jagannath, alleges that the conference was organised with the intention of eradicating a specific religion, namely Hinduism.
During the proceedings, the bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi questioned the petitioner, B Jagannath, about why he did not approach the High Court first. Jagannath’s counsel argued that the case involved more than just an individual ranting against a particular religion; it concerned a Minister and state machinery being directed against a specific religion. The bench responded by stating that they did not want to be turned into a police station.
However, as the petitioner’s counsel mentioned that similar issues related to hate speech were pending, the court decided to issue notice in the matter.
In his plea, Jagannath sought an injunction against Udhyanidhi, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, as well as Congress leader Peter Alphonse, DMK MP A Raja, and VCK MP Thol Thirumavalavan, and their followers, to prevent them from making any further hate speech against Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism.
The plea also requested a declaration that the participation of state ministers in the ‘Sanatan Dharma Eradication’ conference held on September 2, 2023, was unconstitutional and violated Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
Additionally, the plea sought a directive against the Tamil Nadu State Government Higher Education Department, ensuring that no conferences against any Hindu Dharma take place in secondary schools, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Karnataka Hijab case.
The petitioner urged the apex court to direct the state Director General of Police to submit a report on how the conference was granted police permission and why no action had been taken against the organizers and responsible organizations.
Furthermore, the plea requested a directive to the home secretary and the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu to immediately appoint a nodal officer for handling hate speech, as per the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment.
The petitioner raised concerns about whether permission was granted by the Tamil Nadu Police department for such conferences, as the conference’s title suggested it aimed to eradicate a particular religion.
The plea also questioned whether political interference played a role in granting permission for these conferences and why the organizers had not been arrested if no permission was granted.
Finally, the plea alleged that there was a state-sponsored propaganda against Sanatan Dharma in Tamil Nadu, with meetings and conferences being used to malign the religion, particularly targeting young students.
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