The Madras High Court on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) agreed to hear on the same day an urgent anticipatory bail petition to be moved by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin in a case booked against him for his objectionable remark during his public speech in Thanjavur on Monday (August 3, 2026).

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan accepted a request made by senior counsel Hasan Mohammed Jinnah for grant of lunch motion and directed the High Court Registry to list the advance bail petition for hearing in the afternoon session since it was represented that the Thanjavur police had booked a case against the LoP.

Udhyanidhi Stalin arrested in connection with complaint of making misogynist remarks

When Mr. Jinnah insisted the police must be directed to not precipitate the matter and venture into arresting the LoP until his anticipatory bail plea gets heard by the court, the judge orally directed the government counsel to issue suitable instructions to the police until the court could examine the issue.

The judge said, he would like to know what was the case all about, whether a First Information Report had been registered, what were the charges levelled by the complainant and which of the legal provisions had been invoked against the Leader of the Opposition before taking a call on advance bail plea.

He told Mr. Jinnah the court would take up the anticipatory bail plea even before lunch if the petition gets filed and numbered by then. Mr. Udhayanidhi had led a demonstration in Thanjavur on Monday (August 4) against the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led State government’s handling of the Cauvery issue.

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While criticising Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, the LoP was accused of having made an offensive remark following chants from the audience who named a film actor. This had led to a complaint lodged against him before the police as well as the National Commission for Women.

Since there was a threat of his arrest just a day before the commencement of the budget session of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (August 5, 2026), a mention was made before the High Court for an urgent hearing of his anticipatory bail plea.

TVK senior leader and Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy and Law R. Nirmalkumar, on Tuesday (August 4, 2026), said DMK youth wing secretary and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin is “unfit to enter the Assembly and be in public life.”

The Minister was responding to a question on the arrest of Mr. Udhayanidhi on allegations of making misogynistic remarks during a demonstration in Thanjavur on August 3. “As Mr. Udhayanidhi has no understanding of the Cauvery and Mekedatu issues, he made unnecessary remarks in Thanjavur. Will the family members of the DMK accept his remarks?” Mr. Nirmalkumar asked while speaking to reporters in Chennai.

“He is unfit to remain Leader of the Opposition. A person who carries such an attitude towards women has no qualification to enter the Legislative Assembly. He is unfit to be in public life. Had Puratchi Thalaivar M.G.R. [M.G. Ramachandran] and Amma [J. Jayalalithaa] been alive, they would have taken the same action that the Chief Minister [C. Joseph Vijay] has taken today,” he contended.

To a question on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s objection to Mr. Udhayanidhi’s arrest, Mr. Nirmalkumar said, “Mr. Palaniswami is hiding behind the DMK. There was a time when Mr. Udhayanidhi made defamatory remarks against Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa). At that time, the government led by Mr. Palaniswami was in office. Even then, no action was taken against him.”

Udhayanidhi spoke like fourth-rate platform speaker: Vaiko

MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Tuesday condemned Mr. Udhayanidhi alleging he had made remarks that reduced him to the level of “a fourth-rate platform speaker.”

In a statement, Mr. Vaiko said Mr. Udhayanidhi ought to have exercised restraint while addressing a protest meeting in Thanjavur on Monday . “His remarks are unbecoming of the Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

Alleging that the protest had been organised by the DMK solely to create trouble for the government and politicise the Cauvery water dispute, Mr. Vaiko said all political parties should rise above narrow political considerations. “We must come together, setting aside partisan interests. Only then can we safeguard the rights of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, who was on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) arrested in connection with a complaint alleging he made misogynistic speech at Thanjavur, accused the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government of resorting to “cut-and-paste” techniques to attribute words to him that he had never uttered.

Also read: Udhayanidhi Stalin arrest LIVE updates

Speaking to reporters minutes after arrest at his Neelangarai residence near Chennai, Mr. Udhayanidhi said a “false case” had been filed against him but he would not be intimidated by the action of the government. “I am shaped by Kalaignar (late former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi), the DMK and its president M.K. Stalin.

He accused the TVK government of adopting diversionary tactics and alleged that the “dummy Chief Minister,” his Ministers and MLAs were “obsessed with releasing reels” and had been “living on reels ever since they came to power”.

Mr. Udhayanidhi contended that during the protest in Thanjavur, he had highlighted what he described as the government’s failure to fulfil its election promises and its commitments to farmers. “It is a cowardly government that has failed to raise its voice against the construction of the Mekedatu dam (proposed by Karnataka). They have suppressed everything I said and are now indulging in diversionary tactics,” he alleged.

Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition and DMK youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) arrested by police following a complaint registered by a ruling TVK functionary accusing him of making misogynist remarks at a public meeting in Thanjavur a day earlier.

The complaints against him include allegations that he made indecent, double entendre remarks seeming directed at an actor during his speech. Based on the complaint, the Thanjavur East Police had filed a case against the DMK leader under Sections 196, 192, 352, 79, 296(b), 61 & 351(2) BNS, 4 of the TNPHW act and 67 of the IT Act.

Tension prevailed outside Mr. Udhayanidhi’s residence in Neelangarai in Chennai after a police team from East Thanjavur, assisted by the Greater Chennai Police, arrived there on Tuesday (August 4) morning to execute the arrest.

A large number of DMK cadres gathered at the residence and engaged in heated arguments with the police. Senior DMK leader Ma. Subramanian and Mr. Udhayanidhi’s wife, Krithika Udhayanidhi, were also seen arguing with police personnel.

Meanwhile, a petition challenging the arrest and seeking legal relief on Mr. Udhayanidhi’s behalf has been filed before the Madras High Court. The matter is scheduled to be heard later in the afternoon. He is likely to be taken to Thanjavur.