After the Tamil Nadu government told the Madras High Court during the hearing of the anticipatory bail petition that it had no intention of seeking the judicial remand of Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over his allegedly vile and obscene remarks against actor Trisha while attacking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, the Court directed the Thanjavur police to release him on August 4 itself on station bail after questioning.
TVK Women’s Wing and TVK national spokesperson Pazha Selvakumar have also submitted a complaint to the National Commission for Women (NCW), seeking action against Udhayanidhi over his purportedly derogatory remarks. It is learnt that six FIRs have so far been registered against Udhayanidhi across Tamil Nadu over the speech.
S Bairavi, the TVK’s Central District Women’s Wing Organiser for Thanjavur, lodged a complaint at the Thanjavur East Police Station.
Based on this, the police registered a case against Udhayanidhi under Sections 196, 192, 352, 79, 296(b), 61 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, and arrested him.
The FIR stems from an objectionable speech delivered by the Leader of the Opposition at a public meeting organised by the DMK in Thanjavur on August 3 in connection with the Cauvery water-sharing dispute.
Upon knowing about the cases, Stalin then moved the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. However, the police detained him on Tuesday morning before the petition could be heard by the Court after high drama.
Sources claimed, when the police team went to his Neelankarai residence, his wife told them that he would finish his morning ablutions and would come. By then, EV Velu, Sekar Babu and MA Subramanian, along with Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan, reached his residence. A large number of DMK cadres also thronged the place despite a heavy police presence.
Chennai City Police Commissioner Amalraj oversaw the operation while controlling the frenzied crowd that blocked the road and police vehicles.
The police team waited for more than an hour after warning that they would enter the residence by force if he did not come out.
Finally, Udhayanidhi came out and was taken to Thanjavur by road in a police van.
In violation of the rules, several DMK leaders accompanied him in the same police vehicle, while former minister K Ponmudy followed in another car. A convoy of vehicles also followed the police van along with security personnel.
Why DMK politicians are allowed to accompany an accused ? Is this concession allowed to all the accused ? @tnpoliceoffl @CMOTamilnadu https://t.co/zrFE08bEPQ
— Savukku Shankar (@SavukkuOfficial) August 4, 2026
On the way, DMK leaders created a ruckus alleging that he had not been provided food during the journey.
When the matter was mentioned before the Court, Justice Ilanthiraiyan said he would take it up after the lunch session. During the hearing, Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that the State did not intend to keep Stalin in custody and that he had been detained only in the interest of women. He told the Court that the State’s only intention was to protect the interests of women.
After recording the State’s submissions, the Court directed the police to question Udhayanidhi and release him on station bail on the same day, August 4.
Earlier during the hearing, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s counsel argued that his speech was political in nature on the Cauvery water issue and was protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The counsel maintained that the remark referred only to the water dispute with Karnataka. He denied making any derogatory or indecent remarks against Trisha or Vijay, or using any word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman, adding that the speech had been taken out of context for political purposes.
Udhayanidhi Stalin further contended that the case was politically motivated and intended to silence him as the Leader of the Opposition ahead of the Budget Session scheduled to commence on August 5. He sought anticipatory bail in connection with the case under police investigation.
TN BJP state vice-president Khushbu and former DMK ally MDMK general secretary Vaiko, along with CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam, condemned DMK Youth Wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin over his purportedly derogatory remarks.
BJP state vice-president Khushbu accused Udhayanidhi of insulting actor Trisha on a public platform. She questioned whether he had the courage and decency to admit his mistake and apologise, saying that public representatives must exercise responsibility while addressing public meetings.
Heard #Udhayanidhi Stalin's speech. It was crass, cheap and deeply derogatory; reflecting the very political culture he seems eager to inherit.
If those with such a mindset aspire to lead a political party and one day govern the state, then God help us. What else can one expect…
— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) August 4, 2026
Khushbu said: “If those with such a mindset aspire to lead a political party and one day govern the state, then God help us. What else can one expect from people who treat abusing, degrading and insulting women as a form of political theatre, basking in the applause, whistles and laughter of their loyal supporters? And who will know this better but me? Those who normalise such language should remember that once the dignity of women is made a political casualty, no family (including your own) is immune from the same treatment. Public discourse must have boundaries, regardless of political differences. Women need to be respected and not treated as pawns to satisfy political whims and fancies.”
CPI(M), which ended its alliance with the DMK and is now supporting the TVK government from outside, also condemned Udhayanidhi’s remarks.
In a detailed statement, the party described the language used in the public domain as obscene and unacceptable, stating that speeches demeaning women must come to an end and that political leaders have a responsibility to uphold civilised public discourse.
பெண்களை இழிவுபடுத்தும் ஆணாதிக்க அரசியலை வன்மையாகக் கண்டிக்கிறோம்.
தஞ்சாவூரில் நடைபெற்ற காவிரி நீர் உரிமை ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தில் தமிழ்நாடு சட்டமன்ற எதிர்க்கட்சித் தலைவர் திரு. உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் அவர்கள் பேசிய விதம் தமிழக மக்களையும், குறிப்பாக பெண்களையும் மிகுந்த அதிர்ச்சிக்கு… pic.twitter.com/qBZyqIZ6aw
— CPIM Tamilnadu (@tncpim) August 4, 2026
CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam said political leaders must refrain from speaking ill of women and maintain political decorum in public life. He said the manner in which the Leader of the Opposition spoke deserved condemnation and stressed that politics should not degenerate into personal attacks or offensive rhetoric.
தமிழக எதிர்க்கட்சித் தலைவர் @Udhaystalin அவர்கள் பொதுவெளியில் ஆபாசமாகவும், அருவருக்கத்தக்க வகையிலும் பேசியிருப்பது வன்மையான கண்டனத்திற்குரியது.
பெண்களை இழிவுபடுத்தும் வகையிலான பேச்சுக்களுக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்க வேண்டும். அரசியலில் நாகரிகமாகப் பேசுவது மிகவும் அவசியம். pic.twitter.com/PuxrimqSnE
— Shanmugam P (@Shanmugamcpim) August 4, 2026
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s detention triggered protests by DMK cadres across the State. Some allegedly vandalised two-wheelers and blocked vehicular traffic, causing inconvenience to the public, including patients travelling to hospitals.
During the 2021 Assembly election campaign, Udhayanidhi Stalin mocked Edappadi K Palaniswami by saying he had “crawled like a dead body” to touch Sasikala’s feet, a crude remark made in Tamil.
AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran said, “Udhayanidhi is proving that he is the grandson of Karunanidhi, who spoke derogatorily about great leaders like Kamaraj. This shows that the DMK and the concept of dignity are unrelated.”
Despite facing defamation cases, Udhayanidhi again made a similar crass remark during the 2026 Assembly election campaign while displaying an old image of EPS prostrating before Sasikala.
LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin's speech was crass, obscene and unparliamentary when he campaigned for the Assembly elections using that one photograph against AIADMK leader EPS, outraging AIPTMMK leader Sasikala's modesty. If anything, he should have been warned back then on how to… pic.twitter.com/HvBAUeyiUz
— Krithika Srinivasan (@krithika_writes) August 4, 2026
In 2023, he compared Sanatana to dengue and malaria and called for its destruction, resulting in multiple cases being registered against him across the country.
In 2026, as Leader of the Opposition, he reiterated in the Tamil Nadu Assembly that “Sanatanam that divides people must certainly be eradicated”.
Critics say Udhayanidhi has made a habit of using abusive and provocative remarks to build an image of a fearless political leader. They argue that facing multiple cases without significant punishment has only emboldened him to repeat such statements.
They also point out that during the previous DMK government, several social media activists and BJP leaders who criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin or the government’s functioning were booked in multiple cases, pursued by the police and arrested.
According to them, not allowing a hit-and-run statement by a DMK leader, the TVK government registered a case, detained him and took him in a police van on a six-hour journey, thereby bringing the episode to national attention and putting the DMK in a poor light.
புறங்கூறிப் பொய்த்துயிர் வாழ்தலின் சாதல்
அறங்கூறும் ஆக்கம் தரும்.– திருக்குறள் 183
— Nivetha Pethuraj (@Nivetha_Tweets) August 4, 2026
Meanwhile, film actress Nivetha Pethuraj, claimed to be close to Udhayanidhi Stalin, posted on X after his arrest, quoting a couplet from the Thirukkural in Tamil, which broadly means that it is better to die than to live a false life by speaking ill of people behind their backs while pretending otherwise in their presence.
