Produce texts you read to understand Sanatana Dharma: HC to Udhayanidhi

Tamil Nadu Sports and Youth Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was asked on November 8 by Justice Anita Sumanth what texts he had read on Sanatana Dharma before making comments about it.

Earlier on September 2, at a meeting, Udhayanidhi had called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma which erupted into a controversy. The petition against Udhayanidhi was filed by Hindu Munnani Katchi for his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.

When the case came up on Wednesday, the judge asked, “Your understanding of Sanatana Dharma appears to be that it refers to Varnas or the inherent divisions on the basis of caste. What is the literature that was there? What is the research that was done to arrive at such an assumption?”

Senior counsel P Wilson, who is representing Udhayanidhi in this case, submitted to the court that as a DMK leader, he needed to adhere to and propagate the Dravidian principles of equality, self-respect, brotherhood and rational thought.

He also added that the basis of what he had spoken about Sanatana Dharma was culled from the speeches of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Thanthai Periyar; and texts published by the Banaras Hindu University between 1902 and 1937. Wilson submitted that the DMK Minister had only wanted questionable aspects in Sanatana Dharma to be eradicated.

Justice Anita Sumanth asked that he submit the copy of texts that Udhayanidhi had based his statements on. The matter has been adjourned to November 10.