Latest news with #MurugaBakthargalinAanmeegaMaanadu
New Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Leaders, devotees throng Madurai for Muruga maanadu
MADURAI: Political leaders and people from all walks of life are making a beeline for the Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu, which is scheduled to kick off on Sunday at Amma Thidal near Vandiyur Tollgate in Madurai city. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and his Maharashtra counterpart C P Radhakrishnan visited the venue on the eve of Muruga maanadu (conference). 'Lord Murugan is our supreme lord. He is our identity. Lord Shiva is worshipped all over Bharat and by Hindus all over the world. As we know Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva, he is our God, our 'arathaiya' and our identity. I have visited all temples in India, but to see them all together is amazing, thanks to Hindu Munnani for organising the event (Muruga maanadu),' said Ravi on Saturday. Speaking to the media after visiting makeshift creation of six abodes of Lord Murugan made at the Muruga maanadu venue, Ravi said this is above politics. 'It is about who we are. I am very happy to have darshan of all six (abodes of Lord Murugan) at one place.' A large space spread over 8 lakh square feet has been allocated for the event, while seating arrangements have been made for over 1 lakh people. The event is expected to begin from 3 pm.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
People visit replicas of Arupadai Veedu ahead of Lord Murugan conference
Ahead of Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu to be held in Madurai on Sunday, hundreds of people visited the replicas of six Murugan temples (Arupadai Veedu) installed at the venue of the conference. The statues of Lord Murugan were placed inside each of the six replicas of the six abodes of Lord Murugan. For the people witnessing the six abodes of Lord Murugan, located in different parts of Tamil Nadu, under one roof was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The people from far and near thronged the venue throughout the day. People were seen clicking photographs and selfies enthusiastically in front of the replicas of the temples with their family members and friends. They were given prasadam following the darshan. Security has been beefed up at the venue of the conference to handle the crowd. People from far and near are expected to come to the event. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan will be attending the conference. Considering that leaders from other States and State BJP leaders will be attending the event, additional security arrangements have been made by Madurai City police. The police have announced temporary traffic diversions in the city in view of the conference and in order to ease traffic congestion along the route. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi who earlier in the day participated in the International Yoga Day event at Velammal Global School visited the venue of the conference. He went around the venue and took a look at the statues of Lord Murugan placed inside each of the six replicas of the six abodes of Lord Murugan.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HC sets aside condition requiring vehicle pass for participants coming to Lord Murugan devotees conference
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday set aside the condition requiring vehicle pass for participants to attend Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu to be held in Madurai on June 22. The court was hearing an appeal preferred by M. Arasupandi of Madurai, zonal secretary of Hindu Munnani, who challenged the condition requiring vehicle pass for participants to attend the event. Allowing the appeal, a Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and K. Rajasekar observed that the condition imposed by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Anna Nagar range, Madurai, lacked jurisdiction. The Assistant Commissioner could not have issued a blanket prohibitory order restraining the entry of vehicles into Madurai city without vehicle pass for the conference participants. 'We fail to understand as to how such a condition could have been imposed by the Assistant Commissioner in the first place. An Assistant Commissioner can have jurisdiction and sway only over the territorial limits and not over the entire Madurai city', the court observed. Right to movement throughout India is guaranteed to all citizens under Article 19(1)(d) of the Constitution. It is open to any citizen to enter Madurai city in his/her vehicle and such a right cannot be interfered with by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. 'We are a republican democracy. Just as ease of doing business is important, the ease of participation in democratic gatherings is equally vital. The authorities ought not to come in the way of the citizens exercising their democratic right', the court observed. The court observed that if the objective of the police is to gather details and particulars of the vehicles entering the area where the event is to be held, it can be easily achieved by employing a simple technology such as scanning the license plates of vehicles. To address the concerns expressed by authorities, the appellant had undertaken that participants who come in personal or hired vehicles would deposit photostat copies of RC book, insurance certificate and driving licence in the police booths maintained by Madurai City Police at the earmarked parking places. The organisers assured the court that arrangements had been made so that there would be no stampede which was witnessed in Bengaluru, Delhi and other places recently.
The Hindu
17-06-2025
- The Hindu
HC ‘no' to e-pass for vehicles coming to Lord Murugan devotees' conference
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday refused to grant the relief to permit the participants of Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu to obtain e-pass for the vehicles for the event to be held in Madurai on June 22. Justice B. Pugalendhi, however, extended the time period for the participants to obtain the vehicle pass for the Lord Murugan Conference from the police till June 21. The court was hearing a petition filed by M. Arasupandi of Madurai, zonal secretary of Hindu Munnani, who sought to permit the participants to obtain the vehicle e-pass through online mode.
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Lord Murugan conference at Madurai: Madras High Court directs organisers to ensure communal harmony
Taking into account that the Madurai City Police have granted permission to the Hindu Munnani to conduct Muruga Bakthargalin Aanmeega Maanadu on June 22 and the extended pre-event with certain conditions, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court modified certain conditions and directed the organisers to ensure communal harmony was maintained. The court was hearing petitions filed by the Hindu Munnani seeking permission for an extended pre-event celebrations ahead of the conference, which included conducting poojas at the miniatures Lord Murugan's six abodes set up temporarily at Amma Thidal near the Vandiyur toll gate. The organisers also challenged the conditions imposed by the police. Impleading petitions opposing the conduct of the event and pre-event were also filed. Justice B. Pugalendhi observed that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees every person a right to freely profess, practice, and propagate their religion. Therefore, any individual or organisation has the liberty to hold the function based on the religious faith. However, this right is not absolute. There can be restrictions, if it is intended to affect communal harmony. The court observed: 'Our country is a diverse society having people of different faiths. The exercise of religious freedom must be harmonised with a broader objective of maintaining public order, mortality, and communal harmony.' The Supreme Court has empowered law enforcement authorities to issue prohibitory orders whenever they found that persons, speeches, or actions were likely to trigger communal antagonism and hatred that affects communal harmony. In the present case, the State, as well as impleading petitioners, apprehend that in the guise of a religious event, the organisers may antagonise other communities, and there is a possibility of a communal clash, the court observed. The court said The Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act defined a religious institution as any body for the promotion of any religion or persuasion and included any place or premises used as a place of public religious worship. Section 6 of the Act prohibits any ceremony, festival, congregation, procession, or assembly organised or held under its auspices to be used for any political activity. The petitioner organisation, which claims to promote the religious values, can also be included under this definition, it said. With regard to the condition on vehicle passes, the court said there was no reason to interfere with the condition. If any participant applies for the vehicle pass, the police shall issue it in 24 hours. In case of a rejection, the reasons have to be valid. The police will have an idea about the persons and number of vehicles, likely to participate in the conference. There is no need to furnish separate details by the organisers, the court observed. The court observed that the condition imposed to obtain the permission from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department before installing miniatures appeared to have been imposed by the police in a mechanical manner. Similarly, another condition for permission of the Corporation authorities. The court permitted the petitioner to use two drones for covering the events and speakers, if any to be installed, must be within the ambit of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules. The requirement of police permission for conducting the event is to ensure there are no law and order issues, the court said. Crowd management The petitioner said they did not need police assistance to manage the crowd as it already had volunteers. The court, taking into account that the event is to be conducted on a highway, said it should not lead to traffic congestion. Therefore, necessary police personnel may be deployed to ensure the free flow of traffic. If any police personnel were required by the organisers, the same shall be considered by collecting standard charges as per the Government Orders, the court observed. The apprehension of the State and impleading petitioners that the event may disturb communal harmony relied on the incident that took place in Thirupparankundram. The event is being organised as a religious conference for devotees of Lord Murugan. With that being the objective, the organisers of the event must comply strictly with the observations of the Supreme Court and ensure that communal harmony is maintained, the court directed.
