Today, Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was granted bail by a special court in Bengaluru. The case against him pertained to his contentious remarks on Sanatana Dharma.

Special Magistrate KN Shivakumar directed Stalin to provide a ₹5,000 cash deposit as surety along with a personal bond of ₹50,000 for his bail. Stalin is currently entangled in legal proceedings across various states due to his statement that:

“Just like dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or coronavirus need to be eradicated, we have to eradicate Sanatana."

In September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin made the remarks during a conference organized by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association in Chennai.

On May 10, the Supreme Court issued notices to several state governments and complainants in response to Stalin's plea. He sought to consolidate the criminal cases filed against him across various regions into a single FIR for trial.

Days after his speech, 262 individuals, including 14 retired High Court judges, penned a letter urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu action against Stalin due to his controversial comments.

Subsequently, a plea was filed with the Supreme Court, seeking the initiation of a criminal case against Stalin.

Meanwhile, a trial court in Bengaluru directed the registration of an FIR against Stalin for his remarks. In addition, a court in Jammu ordered an inquiry after a litigant filed a criminal complaint concerning the matter.

A plea was also submitted to the Madras High Court seeking the removal of Stalin from his ministerial position. During the proceedings, Stalin clarified that his statement was not intended to criticize Hinduism or its practices. Instead, he emphasized that his remarks aimed at advocating the cessation of caste-based discriminatory practices.

Ultimately, the High Court decided against issuing any directive to remove Stalin from his ministerial post. However, it did criticize him for his remarks, stating that they were "divisive" and ran counter to Constitutional principles.