Madras HC Quashes FIR Against Amit Malviya; BJP Demands Action Against TN Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin

The Madras High Court has dismissed a 2023 FIR filed by Tiruchi City Police against BJP leader Amit Malviya, who had responded to Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s controversial remarks on “Sanatan Dharma.” Following the verdict, the BJP has stepped up its campaign against the ruling DMK, demanding Udhayanidhi’s resignation and legal action against him.

Court Observations

Justice S. Shrimati of the Madurai Bench noted that Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments had been “misrepresented” and fall under the scope of hate speech. The court expressed concern over the perceived injustice in legal proceedings, stating, “It is regrettable that a person who delivers a speech spreading hatred is left unpunished, while a person responding to such speech faces legal action.”

BJP’s Response

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal called the High Court ruling a “strong rebuke” to DMK’s narrow and anti-Hindu mindset in Tamil Nadu. He also described it as a setback to the opposition India coalition’s “anti-Hindu ideology.”

Goyal highlighted that the court clarified responding to Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “abhorrent speech” was not a crime and that the FIR against Malviya was an abuse of the legal process. BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla reiterated that the FIR was intended to silence Malviya for posting the truth about Stalin’s statements.

Demand for Resignation

The BJP has demanded that Udhayanidhi Stalin be immediately removed from his post as Deputy Chief Minister and that a case be registered against him. The party criticized Stalin’s remarks, which labeled Sanatan Dharma as being against equality and social justice, comparing it to infectious diseases like COVID-19, malaria, and dengue, and suggesting it should be “eliminated.”

The FIR against Malviya had been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code after he accused Udhayanidhi of inciting violence against the 80% of India’s population adhering to Sanatan Dharma. The High Court ruling has now cleared Malviya of all allegations, further intensifying political tensions in Tamil Nadu ahead of the assembly elections.