Unity cannot be forced: Madras HC allows village temple drama in Tamil Nadu

Madras High Court allows Sivagangai temple drama, saying unity cannot be forced amid caste tensions and rival group disputes over festival control.

The Madras High Court said “unity cannot be forced,” allowing a plea to conduct a village temple drama in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai district, despite objections from the State over caste tensions and a dispute between rival groups over temple celebrations.

The Madras High Court on Thursday said “unity cannot be forced.”

Justice S. Srimathy on Thursday observed that even human beings belonged to the “animal kingdom” and that divisions arise naturally beyond a certain point. The court held that authorities cannot prevent separate celebrations merely because communities refuse to unite.

The court was hearing a petition filed by S. Sukumar seeking directions to police and district authorities to grant permission and protection for conducting the Arulmigu Sri Pon Muniyandi Temple festival and staging a “Valli Thirumana Drama” in Sivagangai district on May 22.

The Tamil Nadu government opposed the plea, arguing that rival groups were claiming rights over the festival and drama performance, leading to continued tensions in the village. It also informed the court that a village peace committee had already discussed the issue and recommended that the drama not be held.

The petitioner, however, contended that the performance would be staged on private property near the temple, with the landowner’s consent, and not on temple premises. He argued that the peace committee’s decision applied only to temple land and could not restrict an event on private property.

The petitioner also cited a previous judgment of the High Court from November 2023, where it had adjudicated a similar dispute and held that any particular community could not be prevented from celebrating despite opposition from other communities.

The High Court agreed with the petitioner’s submissions and said that unity cannot be forced. It held that divisions among citizens were natural. Justice Srimathy also compared social behaviour to patterns seen in the “animal kingdom,” where unity exists only up to a point.

“As rightly pointed out, unity cannot be forced. Even human beings belong to the animal kingdom. As per the behavioural pattern in the animal kingdom, there can be unity only up to a certain extent. Beyond that, there will be divisions, which are natural. Therefore, unity cannot be forced. Considering the rival contentions, this Court is inclined to allow this petition,” the High Court said.

The court further said that separate celebrations could not be prevented merely because rival groups existed. It allowed the petition and directed the district authorities to grant permission for the event, subject to standard conditions, while cautioning the organisers against “obscenity in songs, dances or performances.”