Section 69 in Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997
69. Removal of Discrimination in the distribution of Prasada or Theertha.
(1)Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any text, rule of interpretation of Hindu Law or any custom or usage forming part of the law or in any other law or in any decree of court, no discrimination shall be made in the distribution of prasada or theertha in any temple or other religious place on grounds only of caste, sex, place of birth, or any of them.Explanation. - In this section,-(a)'Prasada' means any cooked rice or other eatable, any fruits, flower, leaf, vibuthi, kumkuma, tulsi, bilwari, turmeric, sandal paste or other like thing distributed as prasada by whatsoever name called;(b)'Theertha' means sacred water, jaggery water or milk and includes other like things distributed as theertha in a temple by whatsoever name called;(2)Nothing contained in this Act shall, save as otherwise provided in sub-section (1) and in clause (2) of Article 25 of the Constitution, be deemed to confer any power or impose any duty in contravention of the rights conferred on any religious denomination or any section thereof by Article 26 of the Constitution.
