No particular caste can claim right to administer a temple: Madras high court

CHENNAI: No caste can claim a right over the administration of a temple, the Madras high court has said, asserting that a caste is not a religious denomination. When authorities make appointments without reference to caste, it should not be found fault with, it added.Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy made the observations on Saturday while upholding the order passed by the Tamil Nadu govt appointing five non-hereditary trustees to the Arulmigu Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple at Belur in Salem.“No caste can have any right in respect of any temple. Therefore, the prayer made by the petitioner on caste basis stands rejected as opposed to public policy, and it has also been held that caste is not a religious denomination for that purpose,” the judge said, disposing of a plea moved by Sivaraman challenging the appointments.According to the petitioner, he belongs to a particular caste and that particular caste people had a first right to pull the temple car, and the temple was also administered from among the caste people.Since no one from his caste was appointed as a trustee of the temple, he approached the court. His second contention is that Chinnamanaickkenpalayam is an adjacent village, and the common public of the said village also worships the same deity, and that in the past, persons from the village also participated in the administration of the temple.He further pointed out that of the five trustees appointed by the govt, three belong to the same caste, and therefore, the same should not be permitted, he said.Recording the submission, the court said: “Care must be taken by the authorities while they appoint trustees alternatively after every two years, to give representation to that particular village. Since the appointment has been validly made, no other legal impediment is brought to the notice of this court. Hence the prayer in the writ petition cannot be granted as prayed.”