A Delhi-based lawyer has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking registration of first information report (FIR) against Tamil Nadu Ministers Udhayanidhi Stalin and A. Raja over their recent derogatory remarks against the ‘Sanatan Dharma’.
Filed by Advocate Vineet Jindal on Thursday, the petition contended that the statements made by the two DMK leaders amounted to hate speech and sought registration of FIR against them under Sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code.
It further sought contempt action against the Delhi Police and the Chennai Police for not complying with the Supreme Court orders to register suo motu FIR in hate speech cases.
The petitioner, claiming himself to be a Hindu and follower of the Sanatan Dharma, contended that his religious sentiments were hurt by the statements made by Raja and Stalin.
Advocate Jindal noted that the statements made by the two DMK leaders amounted to ‘outraging’ the religious feelings of the followers of Hinduism, apart from insulting them. The remarks could further instigate enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, he added.
The lawyer alleged that Stalin calling for eradication of Sanatana Dharma and comparing it to mosquitoes, dengue, Covid-19 and malaria amounted to hate speech.
The petition further sought registration of an FIR against A Raja, MP from Tamil Nadu and former Cabinet Minister, for his remarks against Sanatana Dharma. He said Raja equating the Sanatan Dharma with diseases such as HIV and Leprosy also amounted to hate speech.
Advocate Jindal has filed two separate applications in the Apex Court. While the first one seeks registration of FIRs against the DMK leaders, the second one has been filed in the case of Shaheen Abdullah vs Union of India, seeking impleadment as party in the matter.
The Shaheen Abdullah vs Union of India case seeks action against hate speeches.
Earlier on Thursday, a practising Advocate of the Supreme Court had filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Deputy General Secretary of DMK and MP Andimuthu Raja for comparing the Sanatan Dharma with social stigma attached to diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Leprosy.
Terming it a hate speech, Advocate Chirag Aneja filed a complaint at Saket Police Station, alleging that the MP made such outrageous and slanderous remarks on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, in order to outrage and hurt the religious feelings of Sanatan Dharma followers.
He further said that the DMK leader was aware of the country hosting the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. Raja made such comments to provoke the breach of peace and harmony between different religious communities, thereby attempting to create riots and wage a war-like situation in the country, he alleged.
The complaint also mentioned the statement given by Udhayanidhi Stalin, another DMK Minister and son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who had equated the Sanatan Dharma with contagious diseases such as Dengue, Malaria and Covid-19.
The lawyer sought registration of an FIR and strict action against A. Raja for attempting to strike at the sovereignty of the State, waging war against the country and defaming the nation on an international platform.
Earlier in the day, A Raja had stoked a new controversy even before the row over Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on his Sanatan Dharma comment could die. Instead of cooling down the matter, the DMK General Secretary equated Sanatan Dharma with HIV and leprosy.
Speaking during a ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development compared Sanatan Dharma to viral diseases and asserted that the ideology must not only be opposed, but ‘eradicated’.
He said few things cannot be opposed, which should be abolished only. Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria or Corona cannot be opposed, they have to be eradicated. Sanatan Dharma should also be eradicated in a similar way, rather than opposing it.