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Govt. should not interfere in religious traditions : SC

  • Supreme Court admonishes DMK Govt. of Tamil Nadu
  • Issue of appointment of priests in temples taken over by Tamil Nadu Government

(Credits : OpIndia)

New Delhi – The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Madras High Court on the appointment of priests in temples in Tamil Nadu and issued a stay order. The Supreme Court said that the Government should not interfere in religious traditions followed by anyone. ‘Akhil Bharatiya Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Seva Association (ABASSSA)’ has filed a writ petition in this regard. The stay order issued by the Madras High Court has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

It was submitted by ABASSSA during the hearing that the State Government was not heeding to the order issued by the Madras High Court and appointing persons as temple priests who do not belong to the Agamic Sect. (People feel that the Government should be punished for not following the Court’s order. – Editor) The Government claimed that the persons were trained and were capable of performing all puja rituals. The Court had, however, clearly stated that Agamic temples have their own traditions and appointment should be done from the Agamic Sect following those traditions.

There are more than 42,500 temples in Tamil Nadu and the State Government appoints priests for these temples. Out of these temples, 10% are run as per the ‘Agamic’ tradition. These are ancient temples. They follow specific traditions and policies. The State Government has passed a rule related to the appointment of temple priests that a person holding a diploma in priest-ship would be eligible for appointment to the post of a priest. As a result, those, who have been working as priests for several years in these temples, would not be able to remain in that post without holding a diploma.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu manages all temples in the State and has control over everything offered in temples, besides the appointment of priests and other temple staff.

What is the issue ?

Tamil Nadu Government passed an Act in 2020 in the name ‘The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious Institutions Employees (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2020’. The State Government has been appointing priests in Hindu temples under this Act. In 2022, the Madras High Court passed a verdict to exclude the ‘Agamic’ temples from the purview of this Act, stating that those temples are run as per their specific traditions and there is no need for Government interference. Even then, the State Government tried to appoint priests who did not belong to the tradition of the ‘Agamic’ temples; therefore, it was challenged in the Supreme Court.

What is the meaning of the ‘Agamic’ temple ?

There are more than 8,000 ‘Agamic’ temples in Tamil Nadu. These temples follow either Shaiva, Vaishnava, Tantric, or Dravidian traditions. It was argued that these temples are different from the other temples. These temples need priests who follow the Shaiva, Vaishnava, or Tantric traditions; therefore, priests following other traditions cannot be appointed.

Several petitions are pending on issues related to temples in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Government controls all temples in Tamil Nadu. Many writ petitions, including a petition filed by a senior leader Dr Subramanian Swamy, have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging such control and demanding that temples be relieved from the Government’s control. Dr Swamy says that the Government should not appoint atheists as priests in temples.

Editorial Perspective

Hindus expect the Union BJP Government to relieve temples from State Governments’ control and stop such Government takeovers in the future.

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