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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Madras HC bins plea to allow one sect to operate stall in temple
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition praying for orders to the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to ensure that the contract for running the 'prasadham kadai', which sells edible sacred offerings, at the renowned Devarajaswamy temple in Chinna Kancheepuram is given only to men belonging to the Vaishnavite Brahmin community. Justice N Anand Venkatesh observed that Vaishnavites are a sect worshipping Lord Perumal and they do not constitute a specific caste. The petition, filed by L Ravi of West Mambalam in Chennai, prayed for the court to quash the auction notice dated July 31, 2025 issued by the HR&CE department, and conduct the auction for awarding tender for the 'prasadham kadai' as per the conditions contained in the original auction notices dated June 3 and July 4. The auction notice dated July 31, 2025 had revised the tender condition and fixed the eligibility criteria as experience of five years in preparing 'prasadham' in a Vaishnavite temple and running the 'prasadham kadai'. Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who heard the submission of special government pleader NRR Arun Natarajan, found no violation in the clauses of the tender notice dated July 31. Natarajan added that the tender cannot be awarded solely based on a particular community, and noted that the Madurai Bench of the high court had held that a particular sect cannot be given the rights for preparing the 'prasadham'. July 31 notice altered tender condition: Petitioner The petitioner had said that the July 31 notice that altered the tender condition was nothing but 'a colourable exercise of power' and it was against the 'principles of natural justice and fair play'. The clause is also against the custom and practice followed in the temple for past 22 years of allowing only Vaishnavite Brahmins to take part in the tender process, the petitioner had contended.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Madras High Court rejects plea to permit only Vaishnavite Brahmins to run prasadam stall at Devarajaswamy Temple
The Madras High Court on Monday (August 11, 2025) refused to accept the argument that only Vaishnavite Brahmins could be permitted to operate a prasadam (sanctified food) stall, also known as Pathu Kadai, on the Devarajaswamy Temple premises in Kancheepuram district. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh dismissed a writ petition filed against the deletion of the words, 'belonging to Vaishnavite Brahmin community,' from the eligibility conditions prescribed in an auction notification issued for operating the prasadam stall at the temple. The judge recorded the submissions of Special Government Pleader (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) department N.R.R. Arun Natarajan and the counsel for the temple administration K.V. Babu that the temple management had not compromised any of the Agama practices. He pointed out that the writ petitioner L. Ravi, 71, a resident of West Mambalam in Chennai, had filed the case on the sole ground that only Vaishnavite Brahmins had been running the prasadam stalls for several years and hence, that practice must continue without any hindrance. The judge said, though the July 31, 2025, auction notification does not mention the words 'Vaishnavite Brahmins,' it does state that the applicants must be familiar with the customs of the temple as well as its Agamas, besides possessing five years of experience in preparing prasadam at a Vaishnavite temple. Further, referring to an observation made by Justice B. Pugalenthi of the High Court on August 12, 2024, that the term 'Vaishnavites' refers to all those who worship Lord Vishnu and not just the Brahmins, the judge said, he does not find any reason to order that only Vaishnavite Brahmins could run the prasadam stall. Though the writ petitioner had sought to restrain the temple management from conducting the auction on Wednesday (August 13), the judge refused to pass any such orders, and made it clear that the auction could take place as per the conditions stipulated in the July 31, 2025, notification. In his affidavit, the petitioner, who claimed to be an ardent devotee of Lord Devarajaswamy, had stated that the right to run the prasadam stall was given to a person who was not a Vaishnavite Brahmin in 2002, and the latter began using onion, garlic, and drumstick, which were prohibited ingredients in the preparation of the prasadam. Claiming that the person had caused 'anaacharam' (spoiling the sanctity) by using prohibited ingredients, the petitioner insisted that the right to run the prasadam stall near the Vahana Mandapam inside the temple must be given only to a Vaishnavite Brahmin.
