Caste will have no role in appointment of temple priests, rules Madras HC

The Madras high court on Monday held that the caste will have no role in the appointment of Archakas in temples and allowed trustees to appoint any person well-versed with the ‘pooja.’ The court made the observation while hearing a plea from Muthu Subramania Gurukkal against an advertisement issued by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department calling for applications for the positions of Archakas/Sthanikam of Sri Sugavaneswarar Swamy Temple, Salem. The petitioner claimed that the impugned advertisement violates the hereditary right of his and others, who have been providing services as per the customs and usage in the line of succession from time immemorial. The petitioner, Gurukkal, had taken over the position as Sthanikam from his grandfather, as his family of Sivachariyars have been performing poojas from “time immemorial”. Announcing the decision Justice N Anand Venkatesh referred extensively from various Supreme Court judgements, including the Seshammal and others vs State of Tamil Nade case. “It is clear from the said judgment of the Apex Court in Seshammal’s case that the appointment of an Archaka is a secular act and hence, the hereditary right cannot be claimed. The Apex Court held that an Archaka owes his appointment to the shebaits and managers of a temple and they are the one who choose the Archaka,” the court said. The top court held that the appointment of an Archaka, can’t be made on the sole ground of hierarchy(the candidate is next-in-line of succession to the last holder of the office). In another case, the Apex Court once again held that there is no justification to insist that only a Brahmin (in this case, a Malayalee brahmin) alone can perform the rites and rituals and that it can be performed by anyone who is well-versed, properly trained and qualified to perform the ‘pooja’ in a manner conducive and appropriate to the worship of the particular deity. “Hence, the Apex Court frowned on insisting for a pedigree based on caste to perform the rites and rituals in a temple,” the judge said. “In the considered view of this Court, it is always left open to the Trustees/Fit Person to appoint Archakas/Sthanikam in Agamic temples (where there is no doubt on the Agama that governs the temple) by ensuring that the Archakas/Sthanikam are well-versed, properly trained and qualified to perform the pooja as per the requirements under the Agama.” “At the risk of repetition, it is made abundantly clear that the pedigree based on caste will have no role to play in the appointment of Archaka if the person so selected otherwise satisfies the requirements,” the court said. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.