India

“Not A Picnic Spot”: Madras Court Says Non-Hindus Not Allowed To Enter Temple Area In Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department was ordered by the Madras High Court on Tuesday to erect signs informing non-Hindus that they are not allowed to enter beyond the “Kodimaram” (flagpole) area of all Hindu temples. S Srimathy, of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, noted instances in which non-Hindus went into temples for non-religious reasons and stated, “A temple is not a picnic or tourist spot.”

The ruling highlighted the Hindu community’s inalienable right to unhindered religious exercise.

The decision came in response to an appeal submitted by D Senthilkumar, who asked access to be granted to the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple and its subsidiary temples in Palani, Dindigul district, solely for Hindus.

The court ordered that signs stating that non-Hindus are not allowed past the “Kodimaram” to be placed at temple gates, next to the flagpole, and in other conspicuous locations. It further stipulated that a non-Hindu must present an assurance confirming their belief in Hinduism and their commitment to following temple traditions in order to visit a particular deity.

What did the Madras High Court Say?

In the ruling the court said, “The respondents are directed not to allow non-Hindus who do not believe in the Hindu religion. If any Non-Hindu claims to visit a particular deity in the temple, then the respondents shall obtain an undertaking from the said non-Hindu that he has faith in the deity, and he will follow the customs and practices of Hindu religion and also abide by the temple customs and on such undertaking the said non-Hindu may be allowed to visit the temple.”

The court added, “But the issue raised is a larger issue and the same ought to be applicable to all Hindu temples, hence the plea of the respondents is rejected. As stated supra these restrictions would ensure communal harmony among different religions and ensure peace in society. Therefore, the state government, the HR&CE department, the respondents and all persons who are involved in temple administration are directed to follow the directions to all Hindu temples.”

“It was also reported that in Arulmigu Brihadeeswarar Temple a group of persons belonging to other religions had treated the temple premises as a picnic spot and had non-vegetarian food inside the temple premises. Likewise, recently, on 11.01.2024, a newspaper had reported that a group of people belonging to the other religion had entered the Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai with their sacred book and attempted to do prayers.

The judge added, “These incidents are absolutely interfering with the fundamental rights guaranteed to the Hindus under the Constitution.”

Also Read: Samajwadi Party Announces Name Of Candidates For 16 Lok Sabha Seats After Offering 11 Seats to Congress

Shivanshi Srivastava

Recent Posts

Adani Group Stocks Recover As Sensex nd Nifty Post Gains

After a major sell-off earlier in the week, Adani Group stocks, led by Ambuja Cements…

57 minutes ago

Sensex Soars 1,961 Points, Nifty Gains 557 In Broad-Based Market Rally

A sharp rally in financial stocks and encouraging US labor market data fueled the uptrend.…

1 hour ago

PM Modi Engages In 31 Bilateral Meetings During Three-Nation Tour

PM Narendra Modi held 31 bilateral meetings and discussions during his visit to Nigeria, Brazil,…

2 hours ago

SC Reserves Verdict On Challenge To ‘Socialist’ And ‘Secular’ In Preamble

These words were added during the 42nd Amendment in 1976, under the tenure of Prime…

2 hours ago

CPS Appointment Cancellation: Supreme Court Issues Notice to Himachal Pradesh Government

During the hearing, the Supreme Court clarified that the six MLAs removed as Chief Parliamentary…

2 hours ago

BGT 2024-25: India 150 All Out, Bumrah’s 4-17 Rocks Australia To 67/7 On Day One

Bumrah’s 4-17, backed by Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana, helped India seize the momentum…

2 hours ago