Madras High Court: In a writ petition filed for a direction to the police to provide protection to the petitioner and her son to enter the Periyakaruparayan temple situated at Nambiyur Taluk, Erode District and participate in the temple festival on 09-08-2023 and 10-08-2023 based on the representation dated 19-07-2023. N. Anand Venkatesh,J. has held that the respondents do not have any right to stop the petitioner and her son from attending the festival and worshiping God. Further, said that a woman, by herself, has a status and identity and that cannot in any way come down or be taken away depending upon her marital status.
Background:
The case of the petitioner is that her husband used to be the Poojari of the Periyakaruparayan temple. He died on 28-08-2017. During this Aadi month, the temple committee decided to conduct the Aadi festival at the temple on 09-08-2023 and 10-08-2023. The petitioner and her son wanted to participate in the festival and offer their worship to the God. The respondents seem to have threatened the petitioner stating that she should not enter the temple since she is a widow. Hence, the petitioner made a representation to the official respondents to give police protection and since the same was not considered, the present writ petition was filed before this Court.
Analysis
The Court said that it is quite unfortunate that the archaic beliefs that if a widow enters a temple, it will cause impurity continues to prevail in this State. Even though the reformers are attempting to break all these senseless beliefs, it continues to be practiced in some villages. These are the dogmas and the rules framed by man to suit his convenience and it demeans a woman just because she has lost her husband. All this can never continue in a civilized society, which is governed by rule of law. If any such attempt is made by anyone to stop a widow from entering the temple, action must be taken against them in accordance with law. A woman, by herself, has a status and identity and that cannot in any way come down or be taken away depending upon her marital status. Thus, the Court viewed that the respondents do not have any right to stop the petitioner and her son from attending the festival and worshiping God.
Further, the Court directed the police to call the respondents and clearly inform them that they cannot stop the petitioner and her son from entering the temple and attending the festival. Further, it warned that if the respondents attempt to create a law-and-order problem, action will be taken against them immediately.
[Thangamani v The Collector, 2023 SCC OnLine Mad 5132, Order dated 04-08-2023]
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For Petitioner: Additional Public Prosecutor V. Elangovan
For Respondents: Additional Public Prosecutor A. Damodaran
