The Supreme Court on Monday inclined to examine a plea by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to club First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against him in multiple States over his remarks on ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
Initially the Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said Mr. Stalin was no layman, and should have realised the consequences that would follow his remarks.
Mr. Stalin responded that he was not before the Supreme Court on the merits of the case, but on a question of procedure. He said the registration of multiple FIRs was a violation of his right to fair trial and amounted to “persecution before prosecution”.
