Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice T. Raja.
“If even after 75 years of Independence, we cannot celebrate B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary simultaneously with a temple festival in a village, what will people think about our country?” requested Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice T. Raja on April 13, 2023 whereas dismissing a case apprehending regulation and order drawback if each occasions had been held collectively.
The first Division (*75*) comprising himself and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed a public curiosity litigation petition which sought a path to the income authorities to problem prohibitory orders stopping the gathering of folks both for the temple festival or the birth anniversary celebrations at Pattavarthi village in Nagapattinam district.
Ok. Sivaprakasam, 77, a native resident working as a rural drama artist, had filed the PIL petition stating there was a conflict between Caste Hindus and the Scheduled Caste folks in Pattavarthi when the latter had organised an occasion to pay respects to Ambedkar’s portrait at a native bus stand on December 6, 2021. Police intervened and managed the caste conflict.
Thereafter, on April 14, 2022, the Caste Hindus had determined to celebrate Chithirai festival on the Kathayi Amman temple within the village. On the identical day, the Scheduled Caste folks too had deliberate to celebrate Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. To keep away from untoward incidents, the Revenue Divisional Officer performed peace talks with each the teams.
Stating that the talks failed, the petitioner stated, it pressured the RDO to impose prohibitory orders stopping public gathering of greater than two folks from 6 am on April 13, 2022 to 11:59 pm on April 17, 2022. The petitioner needed a related prohibitory order to be imposed this yr to keep away from doable clashes between the 2 caste teams.
Not discovering any cause to entertain such a PIL petition, the ACJ questioned why a temple festival and the birth anniversary celebrations of the daddy of the Constitution couldn’t be allowed to happen simultaneously in a village. He stated, it was for the police to make sure each occasions happen peacefully.
