Madras High Court Orders Udhayanidhi Stalin's Release Hours After His Arrest Over Rally Remarks

Hours after DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested over his alleged misogynistic remarks at a public rally, the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered his release, recording the State's assurance that the police do not intend to seek his judicial remand.

The direction came while the court was hearing Stalin's anticipatory bail plea after he was taken into custody earlier in the day from his residence in Chennai's Neelankarai and brought to Thanjavur in connection with an FIR registered over remarks made during a rally on the Cauvery water dispute.

Appearing for the State, Advocate General Vijay Narayan informed the court that although Stalin had been arrested, the police intended only to question him and would release him on station bail. He submitted that the State would not seek judicial remand and that the arrest had been made "in the interest of women".

Recording the State's submission, the high court directed the police to release Stalin after the inquiry and observed that no order of judicial remand would be passed. Court also directed him to cooperate with the investigation as and when required.

The FIR against Stalin stems from a speech delivered during a public meeting in Thanjavur on the Cauvery water dispute. During the event, some members of the audience allegedly raised slogans mentioning actor Trisha, following which Stalin made remarks that opposition parties claimed amounted to a double entendre with sexual overtones directed at the actor.

The remarks triggered complaints from the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which alleged that Stalin had made derogatory and misogynistic comments against Trisha. Based on the complaints, the Thanjavur police registered a case under Sections 61, 79, 192, 196, 296(b), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) [corresponding to Sections 120B, 509, 153, 153A, 294(b), 506 (Part II), and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), respectively], Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.

Stalin has denied targeting the actor, maintaining that his remarks were made in the context of the Cauvery river and had been deliberately misconstrued for political purposes. The DMK has also termed the criminal proceedings and his arrest politically motivated.

The arrest and the subsequent intervention by the high court have further intensified the political confrontation between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK, with both parties accusing each other of misusing the legal process.