Sanatana Dharma Controversy: A Delhi-based lawyer has filed an application in the Supreme Court, seeking the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and DMK leader A Raja for their controversial comments on 'Sanatana Dharma.'
The application also requests contempt of court action against the Delhi and Chennai police for not registering a suo motu FIR for hate speech, as per the Supreme Court's earlier order.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, received support from A Raja, who compared 'Sanatana Dharma' to leprosy and HIV.
Earlier this year, on April 28, the Supreme Court had directed all states and Union Territories to register cases against individuals making hate speeches, even if no formal complaint was filed.
Advocate Vineet Jindal, the petitioner, is seeking a court directive to the police to file an FIR against both DMK leaders, alleging that their statements fostered enmity among different religious and racial groups, offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code.
Jindal has also requested his inclusion in an ongoing petition that seeks the apex court's guidance to curb hate speech.
He stated, "It is respectfully submitted that the applicant, being a Hindu and a follower of Sanatana Dharma, had his religious sentiments hurt by statements made by the non-applicant Udhayanidhi Stalin, calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma and further comparing Sanatana with mosquitoes, dengue, corona, and malaria."
Raja, a former union minister, defended Udhayanidhi's comments, describing them as "mild and soft" and went on to draw a controversial analogy, equating Sanatana Dharma, a term often used to describe Hinduism, to even more stigmatized diseases.