Chennai : The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu Police to release Assembly Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on station bail after questioning him the same day, hours after he was arrested over a controversial remark that many have interpreted as referring to actor Trisha. The order came shortly after Udhayanidhi was taken into custody for remarks made during a speech on the Cauvery water dispute, where he criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay.
His comments have been widely interpreted as containing a sexual innuendo and indirectly referring to actor Trisha and her friendship with Vijay. The remarks have triggered sharp criticism from political parties across Tamil Nadu. The case stems from a complaint filed by S. Bairavi, Thanjavur Central District Women’s Wing Organiser of TVK, at the Thanjavur East Police Station.
She alleged that when the crowd repeatedly chanted “Trisha, Trisha” during Udhayanidhi’s August 3 speech on the Cauvery issue, he responded with an obscene double-meaning remark. According to the complaint, Udhayanidhi and office-bearers of the DMK IT wing deliberately insulted women, caused mental distress to the actor and women in general, and circulated a 2-minute-39-second video of the speech on social media platform X with the intention of provoking public unrest.
Tamil Nadu Advocate General Vijay Narayan informed the court that Udhayanidhi had been arrested by the Thanjavur Police and taken to Thanjavur for questioning. He clarified that the police had no intention of seeking judicial custody and would release him on station bail after completing the inquiry. “The police do not intend to remand him to judicial custody but only to question Udhayanidhi,” the Advocate General told the court.
DMK president M.K. Stalin also chaired a meeting at the party headquarters to discuss the party’s response ahead of the Assembly session beginning on August 5. Police booked Udhayanidhi under multiple provisions of law, including charges related to using obscene language, insulting the modesty of a woman, promoting enmity, provoking a riot, and criminal intimidation.
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