Trisha Remark Row: Udhayanidhi Stalin Released Hours After Arrest

Published 4 August 2026 · politics

Trisha Remark Row: Udhayanidhi Stalin Released Hours After Arrest Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 16:26 IST DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was released after

Trisha Remark Row: Udhayanidhi Stalin Released Hours After Arrest Published By, Last Updated: August 04, 2026, 16:26 IST DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was released after Madras High Court ordered police to free him following his arrest over a remark about actor Trisha. File image of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, Actor Trisha and Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin. The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the police to release Udhayanidhi Stalin after questioning him over his alleged “double-meaning" remark referring to actor Trisha. The DMK leader had been arrested earlier in the day and taken to Thanjavur for questioning. The High Court also directed the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to cooperate with the investigation whenever required. Court orders release after questioning During the hearing, Advocate General Vijay Narayan, appearing for the Thanjavur police, told the court that Udhayanidhi had been taken to Thanjavur but would not be remanded to judicial custody.

The Advocate General said the state only intended to question him and release him on station bail. Following the submission, the High Court directed the police to release Udhayanidhi after completing the questioning. Arrest followed police questioning According to party sources, an anticipatory bail petition was filed immediately after police reached Udhayanidhi’s residence in Neelankarai to question him over remarks made during a protest on the Cauvery issue in Thanjavur on Monday. However, he was later arrested and taken to Thanjavur for questioning. Before being escorted away by the police, Udhayanidhi told reporters, “Did I mention anyone’s name except the Chief Minister’s? (at the protest held in Thanjavur) Then why do you think this is happening? Let the court decide." Multiple charges invoked Police have booked Udhayanidhi under several sections of law, including provisions related to the use of obscene words and insulting the modesty of a woman. He has also been charged with promoting enmity, provocation with intent to cause a riot and criminal intimidation.

In all, nine sections have been invoked against him. Sources said provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act have also been applied in the case. TVK complaint and protests The issue escalated after Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) lodged complaints with the local police and the Commission for Women (NCW). A complaint was filed at the Thanjavur East Police Station by S Bairavi, the TVK’s Central District Women’s Wing Organiser for Thanjavur. The complaint alleged that when the crowd chanted “Trisha, Trisha" during Udhayanidhi’s speech on the Cauvery issue on August 3, he responded with an obscene, double-meaning remark. It further accused him and DMK IT wing office-bearers of intentionally degrading women, causing mental agony to the actor and women in general, and deliberately circulating a 2:39-minute video of the incident on social media platform X to create public unrest. Following Udhayanidhi’s arrest, DMK workers staged protests across Tamil Nadu.