Chennai: A Madras High Court judge has observed that failure of the police to take action against Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekarbabu during the Santhana Dharma controversy was “dereliction of duty”.
“No one can expect courts to aid them to propagate ideas to create ill will among the public. Some members of the ruling party and Ministers participated in the meeting held for eradicating Sanatana Dharma and no action has been taken by the police against them which is dereliction of duty on the part of the police,” Justice G Jayachandran has observed. In legal terms, the judge’s observation would fall under “obiter dicta”, which is only an observation and not direction.
Plea to hold conference on 'eradication of Dravidian ideology'
The judge made the observation while disallowing a petition from a Chennai resident Mahesh Karthikeyan to direct the authorities to permit him to hold a conference demanding “eradication of Dravidian ideology”.
In his observation the judge said since police failed to act against those who had delivered inflammatory speeches to eradicate Sanatana Dharma, “now permission to counter it by conducting a meeting to eradicate Dravidian ideology is being sought by the present petitioner.”
The judge added, if the request of the petitioner is acceded to, it will cause further disturbance to peace and tranquillity of the public who are already fed up by the way some of the fringe groups in support of persons who have taken oath of office to preserve the spirit of Constitution, act in breach of their oath.
