Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 6: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued an order preventing the registration of any new criminal cases against Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding his controversial comments on ‘Sanatan Dharma’ without its prior approval.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, alongside Justice Sanjay Kumar, heard Stalin's plea for the consolidation of multiple FIRs filed against him across different states. The court instructed that the interim order, which grants Stalin exemption from appearing before lower courts, would continue to apply to any new cases related to the same matter.

The CJI-led Bench directed that no further FIRs be filed against Stalin on this issue, with the case to be heard again in April. The court also granted approval for the addition of a new complainant in the case, following the registration of a fresh FIR against Stalin in Bihar.

Stalin's controversial remarks were made during a conference in Chennai in September 2023, where he claimed that "Sanatan Dharma was against social justice and equality and should be eradicated like malaria and dengue." The comments led to several criminal complaints being filed against him.

In response, Stalin filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, seeking the consolidation and transfer of these various FIRs and complaints to a single state. He invoked Articles 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech) and 25 (freedom of religion) in his petition, arguing for the consolidation of cases.

Earlier, in May 2024, the Supreme Court had issued notices to multiple state governments and complainants and later granted Stalin an exemption from appearing in lower courts in criminal cases. In a separate matter, the court had also declined to entertain a contempt petition against Stalin over his statements, citing the impracticality of hearing individual contempt cases nationwide.

The Supreme Court will hear the matter further in April.