Madras High Court quashed FIR against BJP’s Malviya for responding to Udhayanidhi Stalin’s alleged hate speech, calling it protected free speech.

The Madras High Court quashed an FIR against BJP leader Amit Malviya for sharing a video of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s 2023 speech, ruling that Stalin’s use of the phrase “Sanatana ozhippu” (eradication of Sanatana Dharma) constituted hate speech. The court found the remarks, which compared Sanatana Dharma to diseases like malaria and dengue, to be inflammatory and targeted, crossing the line into promoting hostility against a religious community. Justice S Srimathy emphasized that Malviya’s response, which questioned the implications of the speech, was a legitimate reaction and did not incite violence. The court criticized the selective prosecution of those who respond to hate speech while the original speaker faces no consequences, calling the FIR an abuse of law and ordering its dismissal.