The Madurai bench of Madras High Court(MHC) has directed the Hindu Religious and Endowments(HRCE) board to restore the board, informing that non-Hindus are not allowed in Palani temple. Earlier there was a controversy when a Muslim family tried to enter the temple. The board was placed after Hindu outfits protested but removed the same day following an intense social media campaign by Dravidianists.
In June, Sahul, a Muslim shopkeeper in Palani, Tamil Nadu, brought his relatives to the Bala Dhandayuthapani temple and bought tickets for the winch train to reach the temple atop the hill. As per media reports his relatives wore burqas after purchasing tickets. HRCE employees stopped them saying non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple. Sahul argued with them saying that “it is a tourist place”, so anyone can visit.
Following this incident Hindu outfits protested against HRCE, accusing it of removing the “Only Hindus are allowed inside” board from the temple during consecration and never replacing it giving way to such incidents. Soon after HRCE placed a banner to discourage non-Hindus from venturing inside the temple, but it was removed in hours as Dravidianists and leftists ran a campaign against it.
Senthilkumar, the organiser of Palani Hill Temple Devotees Organization, filed a petition in the Madurai bench of Madras HC seeking to direct the HRCE department to restore the board. Bringing the court’s attention to the fact that the board was present before consecration the petitioner sought to restore it. His counsel pointed out that there are restrictions in other places of worship too which citizens of other religions respect.
Arguing that the temple is not a picnic spot as devotees come there for darshan, he cited rules of the Temple Entry Authorization Act, 1947, which form part of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959, disallowing non-Hindus from entering temple premises. Questioning why the board was removed the court ordered a status quo ante. The court directed HRCE to place the board informing non-Hindus that they cannot enter the temple after advising HRCE to not create controversies unnecessarily. The case has been adjourned to August 28 for further hearing.
