‘God Has No Caste’: Madras High Court Rebukes Officials for Shutting Temple Over Caste Concerns

NDC DESK

In a strong rebuke to the Karur District authorities, the Madras High Court has condemned the prolonged closure—over six years—of the Arulmighu Mariamman Temple in Chinna Dharapuram, citing law-and-order worries tied to caste tensions. The court deemed this inaction a breach of constitutional obligations. Justice B. Pugalendhi emphasized that rights cannot be sacrificed for an illusion of peace when adequate state machinery is available to maintain order .

Two opposing petitions were before the bench: one from the Vanniyakulachathiriyar Nala Arakattalai Trust, which asserted hereditary management and denied caste-based exclusion, and another from Marimuthu, a petitioner from a Scheduled Caste, who alleged Dalits had been denied entry. The judge found that the temple had been all but shut to the public since 2018, with only minimal worship permitted. He criticized the authorities, stating that closing the temple to all was a misplaced approach to maintain peace .

Justice Pugalendhi further made clear that managing law and order is the duty of the state, not a reason to deny worship: “Stopping everyone from entering is not the way to maintain peace… the law cannot treat the oppressor and the oppressed as equals” .

While daily rituals continued behind temple walls, public festivals and communal worship were suspended—a move the court equated with abdication of administrative responsibility. The court underlined that the District Collector must deploy state mechanisms, not issue blanket bans, to preserve both order and constitutional rights .

Justice Pugalendhi powerfully declared: “God does not belong to any caste. He does not discriminate. Only human beings do.” He rejected the Trust’s long‑standing hereditary claim, noting that temple administration must follow formal procedures under the Tamil Nadu HR & CE Act, and confirmed that management rested with a “fit person” appointed by the HR & CE Department .

Invoking a successful precedent at Sivagangai’s Kandadevi Temple, the court highlighted inclusive government involvement as a way forward to avoid caste rifts. It directed the HR & CE Department to file a status report on the temple’s management and access within two weeks. The District Collector and Superintendent of Police were each ordered to submit affidavits outlining steps taken and future measures to assure caste-neutral worship  .

In its final note, the court warned: “Peace built by denying rights is not real peace, it is surrender,” reiterating that caste-based exclusion from public religious spaces will not be tolerated. A follow-up hearing is scheduled in three weeks.