VIDEO

Did police need to arrest Udhayanidhi? Here's what the law says

Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks have sparked outrage. But why was arrest considered necessary when the alleged offence was based on words already spoken in public? Here's what Supreme Court judgments say about police powers to arrest.

Written by : Azeefa Fathima

Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested over remarks made during a Cauvery water-sharing protest. While the remarks have been widely criticised, this video examines two legal questions: Were all the sections invoked in the FIR justified? And more importantly, was his arrest legally necessary?

Drawing on Supreme Court judgments including Joginder Kumar, DK Basu, Arnesh Kumar, Siddharth and Satender Kumar Antil, our latest explainer looks at the principles governing arrest, personal liberty under Article 21, and why the power to arrest is not the same as the necessity to arrest.