Madras HC calls Udhayanidhi Stalin's Sanatana Dharma remarks 'hate speech', quashes FIR against Malviya

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on January 20 quashed a 2023 FIR against BJP leader Amit Malviya, who had shared a post regarding Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma, which the court noted amounted to “hate speech.”

The FIR, registered by the Tiruchi city police, had alleged that Malviya distorted the minister’s comments.

Justice S Srimathy, while allowing the petition, said the speech had to be examined in its entirety. “He stated that Sanatana Dharma should not merely be resisted or opposed, but should be abolished or eradicated. In Tamil, the expression used was not Sanatana ethirppu (opposition to Sanatana), but Sanatana ozhippu (eradication of Sanatana),” the judge observed.

The FIR followed a 2023 social media post by Malviya on X, in which he wrote: “Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin, and a minister in the DMK Govt, has linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue... He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma.”

Malviya’s post was based on Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks at a Chennai conference, where he compared Sanatana Dharma to diseases such as malaria and dengue, stating it should not just be opposed but eradicated. “A few things cannot be opposed but should only be abolished. We can't merely oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. They have to be eradicated. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated,” Udhayanidhi had said.

The court’s ruling effectively closes the case against Amit Malviya regarding the controversy surrounding the comments made at the Chennai conference.