Trouble for Udhayanidhi! 262 eminent personalities write to CJI, to take cognisance of Stalin’s hate speech

14 former judges, 130 retired bureaucrats including over 20 ambassadors and 118 retired army officers have signed the letter demanding action against Stalin

NewsBharati 05-Sep-2023 15:14:45 PM

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On Tuesday (September 5), 262 eminent citizens, including retired Justices, armed force veterans, former ambassadors, and bureaucrats wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY ChandraChud regarding Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remark where he compared Sanatan Dharma with diseases and called for its eradication.

In the letter, these eminent citizens have requested the CJI to take the suo moto cognisance of hate speech by the son of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. The letter states that his speech could incite communal disharmony and sectarian violence in the country.

Notably, the list includes 14 retired judges including Former Chief Justice of Telangana High Court K Sreedhar Rao; 130 bureaucrats out of which 20 had served as ambassadors and 118 armed forces officers.

262 eminent personalities write a letter to Chief Justice of India, urge "suo moto cognisance of hate speech made by Udhayanidhi Stalin that could incite communal disharmony and sectarian violence". pic.twitter.com/rnZtkfZMCq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 5, 2023

Drawing attention to the incident, the 262 eminent citizens have emphasised that the remarks and subsequent developments have caused “anguish in the hearts and minds of common citizens of India” and it has hurt the sentiments of those who believe in Sanatan Dharma.

Highlighting the incident, they noted that a few days ago, Udhayanidhi Stalin, a serving Minister in the Tamil Nadu State Government, while addressing a press conference in Chennai stated, “Few things cannot be opposed, they should be abolished. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate the Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma), rather than opposing it”.

The letter to the CJI added that the Tamil Nadu Minister further deliberately remarked that Sanatana Dharma enslaved women and did not allow them to step out of their homes.

The letter cites the Supreme Court’s order to register the Suo Moto case in matters of hate speech

It noted that the Supreme Court in a writ petition(s) observed – “There cannot be fraternity unless different religious communities are amenable to live in harmony. Supreme Court expressed concern over the growing incidents of hate speeches in the Country and directed the governments and police authorities to take suo motu action in such cases without waiting for the lodging of formal complaints.”

The letter pointed out that the Supreme Court stressed that such action is needed in order to preserve the secular character of the country. Further, any delay on the part of the administration in taking action on “very serious issues” will invite the court’s contempt.