The Madras High Court granted relief to DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, party MP A Raja, and another leader over their comments about “eradicating Sanatana Dharma.” The court advised them to adhere to the “principle of constitutionalism.”
According to a report from Bar and Bench, the court deemed the comments of Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and other DMK leaders on Sanatana Dharma as “divisive” and against constitutional principles.
Justice Anita Sumanth stated that making unverified claims about Sanatana Dharma amounts to spreading misinformation.
“Those holding constitutional positions can propound only one principle. And that is the principle of constitutionalism. Making unverified claims on Sanatana Dharma tantamounts to spreading misinformation,” the Court said.
The court refrained from issuing a writ of quo warranto to remove Stalin as a minister, stating that such a direction cannot be passed unless he is disqualified under the law from holding the post.
“While the petition against Stalin is maintainable, Court can’t issue a writ of Quo Warranto as no action under law has been taken against the minister that can cause him to be disqualified,” the court stated.
The order was made in response to a petition filed against Udhayanidhi Stalin, State minister PK Sekarbabu, and MP A Raja by the Hindu Munnani questioning their continuance in office despite such statements.
Controversy over comments on Sanatana Dharma
The controversy arose in September last year when Udhayanidhi Stalin compared Sanatana Dharma with “dengue” and “malaria,” suggesting it should be “eradicated.”
“There are some things which we have to eradicate and we can’t merely oppose. Mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria, corona, all these are things which we cannot oppose, we have to eradicate them. Sanatanam is also like this,” Udhayanidhi remarked.
MK Stalin’s son made these remarks at the ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference,’ stating that Sanatanam goes against equality and social justice.
“Eradicating and not opposing Sanatanam should be our first task. What is Sanatanam? The name Sanatanam comes from Sanskrit. Sanatanam is against equality and social justice. The meaning of Sanatanam is nothing but ‘permanence’, something which cannot be changed. Nobody can question. This is the meaning of Sanatana,” he added.
In the same month, DMK MP A Raja also stirred controversy by comparing ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases carrying social stigma such as HIV and leprosy. Raja even described Udhayanidhi’s comments on Sanatana Dharma’ as “soft.”
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