A case has been registered in Bihar's Arrah against DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks on Sanatan Dharma, news agency ANI reported on Tuesday. The case has been registered under Section 298 of the IPC (hurting religious feelings).
DMK leader Stalin made remarks comparing 'Sanatana Dharma' to diseases like 'malaria' and 'dengue' while advocating for its elimination on the grounds that it was rooted in the caste system and historical discrimination.
On March 4, the Supreme Court questioned Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks and told him that he is "not a layman but a minister". He had approached the top court seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him in several states over his remarks.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Stalin sought relief from the top court to club all the FIRs, saying FIRs are registered in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra. The bench frowned upon Stalin saying he should have known the consequences before making remarks.
"You abuse your rights under freedom of speech and expression and right to freedom of religion and then come to the Supreme Court for protection under Article 32? Do you not know the consequences of what you said?" asked the bench, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Earlier, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan called upon the BJP to 'explain' what Sanatan Dharma is after the Madras High Court disposed of the quo warranto petition against Tamil Nadu ministers, including Udhayanidhi Stalin.
"They (BJP) should explain as to what is Sanatana Dharma. Nobody had come forward to explain what Sanatana Dharma is," Elangovan said, as quoted by ANI.
"The court has observed that they should not be removed from ministership. They should not speak like that. But what we understand - Sanatana Dharma is Manu Dharma. If they say that it is not Manu Dharma, then it is okay, we are not against it," the DMK leader said.