Published Aug 04, 2026 | 11:26 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 04, 2026 | 11:39 AM
Udhayanidhi Stalin. (X)
Synopsis: During a public meeting on the River Cauvery water-sharing issue in Thanjavur on Monday, 3 August, Udhayanidhi reportedly made a double-entendre remark linking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay with the actor. The remark, made in an apparent playing-to-the-gallery bid, sparked widespread condemnation.
Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin was taken into police custody on Tuesday, 4 August, for an alleged disparaging remark he had made against a leading female movie actor.
The Thanjavur police detained him from his residence at Neelankari in Chennai after a tense face-off with DMK workers. A man was reportedly injured in the scuffle that followed.
Udhayanidhi made light of his detention, terming it “a comedy”. He accused the TVK government of indulging in diversionary politics by spreading false information and said he would face the legal proceedings against him through due process of law.
“I will face the action against me legally,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court took up an urgent mention by Udhayanidhi.
DMK workers entered into a heated argument with the police outside Udhayanidhi Stalin’s residence.
Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan agreed to hear the matter at 12 noon and orally instructed the Government Pleader to inform the police not to take any coercive action against Udhayanidhi until then.
The case was registered against Udhayanidhi under multiple sections based on a complaint alleging that he made derogatory remarks about women during his speech at the DMK’s Cauvery rights protest in Thanjavur on Monday, 3 August.
According to Udhayanidhi’s counsel, the police arrived at his residence under the guise of lawful proceedings with the intention of arresting him. The petition contended that the move was intended to prevent him from carrying out his political and public activities.
The FIR related to Udhayanidhi’s speech at the Thanjavur protest, where he criticised the TVK government over its handling of the Cauvery issue, alleging that it had failed to prevent Karnataka from proceeding with the Mekedatu dam project.
The police initiated the proceedings based on a complaint by Bhairavi, a leader of the ruling TVK’s women’s wing.
Thanjavur East Police Station registered the crime (287/2026) under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The FIR invoked BNS Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds such as religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or other grounds and acts prejudicial to harmony); 192 (unlawful assembly with the object of committing rioting); 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace); 79 (words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman); 296(b) (singing, reciting or uttering obscene songs or words in a public place); 61 (criminal conspiracy involving two or more persons to commit an offence); and 351(2) (criminal intimidation involving threats of death or grievous hurt).
The case has also been registered under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, which deals with harassment of women, including abusive behaviour, verbal harassment and sexual harassment in public places.
Additionally, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, has been invoked for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form, including through the internet, mobile phones or other electronic means.
Earlier, DMK workers gathered in large numbers outside Udhayanidhi’s residence at Neelankarai even as the police team from Tanjavur arrived to arrest him for his alleged disparaging remark against a leading female actor.
During a public meeting on the River Cauvery water-sharing issue in Tanjavur, Udhayanidhi reportedly made a double-entendre remark linking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay with the actor. The remark, made in an apparent playing-to-the-gallery bid, evoked widespread condemnation.
Also Read: Udhayanidhi’s history of remarks on women and rivals’ personal lives
Following the registration of the case, security was tightened outside Udayanidhi’s residence, with additional police personnel deployed as a precautionary measure.
As reports emerged that the Thanjavur police had reached the residence to arrest him, DMK cadres gathered in large numbers, leading to a tense face-off.
After Udhayanidhi’s apparent off-colour remark went viral on social media, several political leaders, including Tamilisai Soundararajan of the BJP, condemned the statement, saying it was derogatory towards women.
Others accused Udhayanidhi of belittling a woman and dragging a female actor into political discourse. Several social media users, too, took umbrage at the former deputy chief minister’s statement.
Neither Vijay nor the actor responded to Udhayanidhi’s comment.
