SP Udayakumar

Anti-Nuclear Activist 

Tamil Nadu

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on April 9, 2020 regarding the false case against anti-nuclear activist Dr. SP Udayakumar for exercising his right of free speech. Dr. Udayakumar is the President of Pachai Tamizhagam Katchi (Green Tamil Nadu Party), and the convenor of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which is spearheading protests against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. He is also the founder of South Asian Community Center for Education and Research.

On April 2, 2020, Dr. Udayakumar participated in a nation-wide hunger-strike from his residence protesting against communal polarisation of the pandemic and demanding relief measures for migrant workers. While Dr. Udayakumar did not inform the press about his hunger strike, an FIR filed at the Kottar police station in Kanyakumari district under Section 270 IPC (Sec. 3 of Epidemic Disease Act) and Section 188 IPC (Sec. 51 of Disaster Management Act) alleged he disobeyed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC by holding a press conference at his residence with more than five persons.

Dr. Udayakumar was booked in another case at the same police station on April 5, 2020 and charged under Section 505 of the IPC, read with Section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000 for dissenting against the government. He has been continuously targeted by the state police for his involvement in social movements and he has been booked in 105 cases, in which FIRs have been filed in only 65 cases.