Days following criticism from the Supreme Court regarding his comments on Sanatana Dharma, DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin received relief today from the Madras High Court. The court dismissed a petition challenging the tenure of Mr. Stalin and two other DMK leaders as legislators.

The high court noted that Mr. Stalin's remarks were deemed "wrong," yet emphasized that he has not faced conviction by any court thus far.

Last September, the 46-year-old DMK leader, who is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, made controversial remarks regarding Sanatana Dharma. His statement, in which he likened Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue and suggested its eradication, sparked a significant controversy.

In addition to Udhayanidhi Stalin, the petitioners had also requested the removal of State Minister PK Sekar Babu and DMK MP A Raja from the Assembly. Mr. Babu was present when Udhayanidhi made the controversial remark, and Mr. Raja had endorsed Udhayanidhi's statement.

Mr. Stalin has reaffirmed his stance, stating that his remarks were directed against caste-based discrimination rather than Hinduism itself. He has also expressed his readiness to face legal consequences while standing by his statements.

"It is a big victory. The BJP distorted the speech. It was not against Hindu religion but only against caste discrimination and caste hegemony," he said.

The controversy surrounding his statement led to the filing of police cases in multiple states across the country. The DMK leader has now appealed to the Supreme Court, requesting that the various FIRs be consolidated into a single case.

The Supreme Court has responded firmly to the matter. A bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta reprimanded him, emphasizing that as a minister, he should be cognizant of the repercussions of his statements.