The Madras High Court has ordered that devotees are expected to enter temples in a proper attire to maintain the sanctity of the place. It has also stated that temple managements could put in place regulatory measures for ensuring decorum.
Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy issued the directions while disposing of a public interest litigation petition filed by temple activist Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam in Tiruchi district.
The petitioner had sought for a direction to all temples in the State to put up notice boards insisting that men should be wearing outfits such as dhoti, kurta-pyjama and women should wear sari, half sari, salwar kameez and so on.
The litigant had insisted that children should also be insisted upon to wear fully covered clothing while visiting the temples. The judges held, such a general direction prescribing a common dress code for all temples could not be issued.
However, individual temples which had a prescribed dress code for the devotees must put up notice boards for enforcing the code, they ordered. Other temples, which had not prescribed any dress code, should strictly follow the provisions of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act of 1959.
“The devotees are, however, expected to enter the temples in a proper dress to maintain the decorum. The temple management can take regulatory measures for the aforesaid,” the third and fourth directions issued by the first Division Bench in the PIL petition read.
Authoring the verdict, the Chief Justice wrote: “The devotees are expected to enter the temples in a proper dress to maintain the sanctity of the temple. It is not for the courts to venture into unchartered waters and thrust our opinions on society. The devotees should realise that they are entering a place of worship and they need to adhere to the customs in vogue at such temple. A person having faith and devotion towards the God needs to maintain proper dress code by himself and by following customary practice, if any, of the temple.”
The observations were made after the litigant produced photographs to show the kind of dresses worn by people who visit temples.
