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No caste-based discrimination of devotees at places of worship: Madras High Court
Madras High Court says devotees cannot face caste-based discrimination at places of worship while hearing a plea over alleged bias at a Kancheepuram temple.
The Madras High Court has said there can be no caste-based discrimination among devotees at a place of worship, observing that all living beings are “equal in the eyes of God.”
Justices G Jayachandran and Justice E Manoharan made the observation in an order passed on Monday while disposing of a petition alleging discrimination against non-Brahmin devotees at the Arulmigu Devaraja Swamy Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram.
The petitioner, a devotee and a resident of Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu, had alleged that non-Brahmin devotees were not allowed to use the main entrance of the Manavala Mamunigal shrine and were instead required to use a side entrance, while Brahmins were permitted to use the main entrance.
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He also alleged that non-Brahmins were prevented from reciting hymns in the temple’s shrines and were made to stand outside the sannathi while receiving prasadam and theertham, without being given satari. The alleged discrimination was particularly raised in connection with the 10-day birthday celebrations of Manavala Mamunigal.
The petitioner said this was discriminatory and against constitutional principles. He also submitted communications issued by the Assistant Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department in 2003, which said that there should be no discrimination between Brahmins and non-Brahmins in the distribution of theertham, satari and prasadam.
In such communications, the Assistant Commissioner had also warned that strict action would follow if discrimination was found in the name of temple custom.
“Before we proceed, it is necessary to extract the following from Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 9 Verse 29 [Translated] “I am equally disposed to all living beings. I am neither partial to anyone nor do I hate anyone. But those who worship Me with devotion, they are in Me and I am in them.”- Lord Krishna In the eyes of God, all living beings are equal and God does not discriminate,” the High Court said.
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The temple administration, however, denied there existed any caste-based discrimination at the temple or the shrine. It said the sub-shrines were small and even service holders could not be fully accommodated inside them. It also assured the court that there will be no discrimination in the distribution of theertham, satari and prasadam and that all members of the public will be “treated equally.”
The administration also said the Adhyabaga Mirasi was a statutory right secured to the Thenkalai sect and carried remuneration and preferential honours. However, the devotees were not barred from singing any other hymns in any shrine while worshipping, it said.
The bench recorded these assurances and said they seemed adequate to resolve the petitioner’s grievances. It also noted that the arrangement would allow the petitioner to recite hymns in the shrines and held that “there is no discrimination occurring by following any tradition.”
