Document Fragment View
Fragment Information
Showing contexts for: god in C.Selvakumar vs The State Government on 2 April, 2024Matching Fragments
2.The petitioner has filed this writ petition as a Public Interest Litigation. The petitioner submits that, he is a practicing lawyer, enrolled as an Advocate in the year 2022 in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. His grievance is in respect of the Kallalagar festival being conducted every year in the Tamil month of 'Chithirai', from Alagarkovil to Madurai, which is a famous and traditional festival, where the God Kallalagar takes a procession from Alagarkovil to Madurai Vaigai River, where at the peak of the festival, God Kallalagar will enter into Vaigai River and it will be https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis witnessed by lakhs and lakhs of people. During the procession which takes around 2 to 3 days to reach Vaigai River and other 2 to 3 days to return back to Alagarkovil, the God will stop at various places in the enroute to perform poojas and mandagapadis by various people who may be an individual or may be a group or may be an organization. This kind of poojas and mandagapadis in the enroute of procession of Kallalagar is taking place for several centuries. However, according to the petitioner, the respondents, especially, the fifth respondent, instead of taking the regular route of procession of God, takes a deviated route or zig-zag route in order to present God ie., Urchavar at various places, according to the wishes of the mandagapadithars, which creates some hatred and inequality in the minds of various section of people residing in the locality or in the district. Therefore, according to the petitioner who appeared as party-in-person, he has given a representation to the respondents on 10.01.2024, where he has made a prayer that during the Chithirai festival of Kallalgar entering into Vaigai River, the mandagapadi and pooja permission granted to various individuals are to be cancelled and the God should be taken straight to the Vaigai River, without any deviation and without any unnecessary stop over. The said representation, since has not been considered and in this regard, eventhough the petitioner had made some queries under the Right to Information Act, 2005, that has also not been responded or rejected without any plausible reason. https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis Hence, the petitioner has moved the present writ petition, with the aforesaid prayer.
3.Reiterating the above, the petitioner who appeared as party-in-person made submissions.
4.We have heard Mr.P.Thilak Kumar, learned Government Pleader appearing for the respondents 1 to 4 and Mr.S.Manohar, learned Standing Counsel appearing for the fifth respondent Temple.
5.Learned Standing Counsel appearing for the fifth respondent would submit that, there are totally 483 mandagapadis which have already been permitted to perform pooja during the procession of God Kallalagar from Alagarkovil to Vaigai River at Madurai and also in the return journey. If at all any person or organization wants to perform the pooja or madagapadi afresh and if they make any application to that effect to the fifth respondent, it would be considered on merits and accordingly, by taking into consideration of the procedures being followed or the procedures which are in vogue and also if it is in the enroute, depending upon the merits of such requests, it would be considered and some of them may be permitted and some of them may be rejected. https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis
10.We have carefully considered the submissions of the learned Counsel on either side and perused the materials placed before this Court.
https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis
11.Insofar as the 'Chithirai Thiruvizha', which includes the procession of God Kallalagar from Alagarkovil to Vaigai River at Madurai and return journey to Alagarkovil is concerned, no doubt, it is one of the famous festival which is being conducted in this part of the country. Every year, during the Tamil month of 'Chithirai', such festival is being conducted and God Kallalagar will start from Alagarkovil temple by way of procession and will reach the Vaigai river at Madurai, to have a holy entrance into the river Vaigai.
15.Moreover, to perform poojas or mandagapadis especially during the festival, at the time of the God moving as an Urchavar, by way of procession, every one who resides in the procession route would like to have the glimpses of God. Therefore, if they want to perform pooja to the God, the temple authority cannot say no to them, provided if they make proper application to the temple authorities, they stated that it would be https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis considered on merits and accordingly, the permission would be granted or denied.