HC directs HR&CE dept to stop printing caste names in temple festival invites

Chennai: Citing Thiruvalluvar's 972nd couplet, ‘Pirappokkum Ellaa Uyirkkum...' (All are equal by birth), Madras high court directed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department to ensure that caste names are not printed in the invites for temple festivals, particularly in the names of donors."Caste is a thing that exists only in the minds of the people. The very purpose of India becoming a republic is to treat everyone equally. The endeavour of every authority in the country should only be to annihilate caste and not to perpetuate the same," Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said.
The court made the observations on a plea moved by a resident of Chengalpet to restrain the temple authorities of Kandhasamy Thirukovil, Thiruporur, from using caste names in the invitations for the ensuing ‘Masi Brahmochavam 2026'."If a festival in which HR & CE dept is involved is conducted in a manner so as to propagate caste and prominently to advertise or take pride in one's caste, the same cannot be permitted," the court said.Responding to the plea, HR & CE dept submitted that the temple, as such, is not using any caste name. However, when ‘Ubayatharars' (donors) give their names, it is given along with caste names.Recording the submission, the court made it clear that from the next festival onwards, whenever any pamphlet is printed, the temple concerned is directed to print the name of the ‘Ubayadharar' donors alone, without mentioning the caste name.