Chennai: The Madras High Court has ruled that temple festivals conducted by the State cannot be used to perpetuate caste distinctions, observing that public authorities must work towards eradicating caste rather than reinforcing it, Live Law reported.
Justice Bharata Chakravarthy made the remarks while hearing a petition that challenged the use of caste names in invitations for an upcoming temple festival. The court underscored that the very purpose of India becoming a republic was to ensure equality among all citizens and that every authority in the country has a constitutional obligation to promote that principle.
The petition was filed by N. Samaran, who sought directions to officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, including the Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, and the Executive Officer of Arulmigu Kandhasamy Thirukovil. The petitioner requested that caste names not be printed in the festival invitations and further sought a direction that only individuals authorised by the Executive Officer be permitted to participate as “Sri Padhamthangis” — those who carry the idol during the temple procession.
During the hearing, the State submitted that the temple itself was not officially using caste names. However, it acknowledged that certain individuals’ caste names had appeared in the printed invitations. The State also informed the court that the invitations for the current year had already been printed, making it impractical to implement changes immediately.
Taking note of the submission, the court refrained from issuing directions affecting the ongoing festival. However, it made it clear that from the next festival onwards, if any individual includes a caste suffix along with their name, only the personal name should be printed in the invitation, and the caste suffix must be omitted.
The court rejected the State’s plea to leave the matter entirely to the temple’s discretion. Emphasising that festivals conducted by the State through the HR&CE Department must adhere to constitutional values, the judge reiterated that State-run religious institutions cannot allow practices that reinforce caste identities.
With these observations, the court disposed of the plea, making it clear that equality must guide the conduct of all State-managed temple events in the future.