HC adjourns quo warranto petition against Udhayanidhi

In a recent development, the Madras High Court has adjourned the quo warranto petition filed against Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his controversial speech on Sanatan Dharma. The minister submitted a counter-affidavit, claiming that the petition against him is politically motivated and should be dismissed. Udhayanidhi Stalin vehemently defended himself in his affidavit before Justice Anita Sumanth, stating that the allegations made against him are false, incorrect, baseless, and legally unsustainable. He argued that no person should be disqualified from holding office as a minister simply because of their views on a particular issue. One significant aspect of his defense was the assertion that the petitioner represents Hindu Munnani, which is perceived as a wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a prominent right-wing organization. He suggested that there might be an “invisible hand” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trying to propagate its political ideology in Tamil Nadu through the court’s involvement in the quo warranto petition. He argued that if there were any breaches of oath or misconduct, it should be dealt with by the Chief Minister advising the Governor to remove the minister, not through legal proceedings. The secretary to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, K Srinivasan, also submitted an affidavit, suggesting that the petitioner’s intention behind the quo warranto petition was to gain political advantage, especially since they were associated with Hindu Munnani. The affidavit emphasized that an elected official cannot be removed through quo warranto proceedings. Following these submissions, the judge presiding over the case directed Udhayanidhi to provide details of the event where he made the controversial remarks against Sanatan Dharma. The case has been adjourned to October 31 for further proceedings.