A court in Ara in Bihar took cognisance of a complaint on Tuesday and issued summons against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, for his remarks on ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
A complaint was filed by an advocate, Dharnidhar Pandey, who claimed that Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin remarks had hurt the religious sentiments of crores of Hindus.
Also read: Sanatana Dharma row | Udhayanidhi Stalin, A. Raja statements ‘perverse, divisive’, says Madras High Court
Ara Chief Judicial Magistrate Manoranjan Kumar Jha issued the summons and initiated proceedings against Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin following the testimony of the complainant and three witnesses under Section 298 of the Indian Penal Code. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 1.
Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma triggered a political row. “Just as dengue, malaria or coronavirus need to be eradicated and not just opposed, we have to eradicate Sanatana,” he had said while addressing a conference organised by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai on September 2, 2023.
Also read: What did the Madras High Court say about Sanatana Dharma? | Explained
The petition accuses Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin of addressing the crowd with criminal intent and using inflammatory language, threatening national unity.
Another similar case has been filed against Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin in a Muzaffarpur court by an advocate, Sudhir Kumar Ojha.
