Madras HC refuses to grant permission for Annadhanam at Vadapalani Murugan temple
The petitioner, E Shankar, failed to establish his right to provide annadhanam and the relief sought for lost relevance as the festival was over, the bench said
Madras High Court (File)
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court refused to grant permission to a person to organise annadhanam at Vadapalani Murugan temple during festivals, as the State is already providing it to devotees.
Accepting the submission of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) Department that it was already providing annadhanam to the devotees under a scheme, a division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar dismissed an appeal challenging the orders of single judge and HR&CE.
The petitioner, E Shankar, failed to establish his right to provide annadhanam and the relief sought for lost relevance as the festival was over, the bench said.
Shankar moved the court seeking permission to provide annadhanam at Vadapalani temple on the account of Vaigasi Pushpa Pallakku and Tirukkalyanam festival. He claimed that he was providing the service in Vadapalani temple, but the executive officer rejected his application seeking permission on May 4, 2024. Under the provisions of the HR&CE Act, a devotee could not be prevented from offering food to devotees inside the temple compound, submitted his advocate R Jayaprakash.
Government advocate K Karthikeyan submitted that the temple administration was maintaining the annadhanam scheme. Under the scheme, the temple administration alone was providing food and other individuals or devotees were not permitted to serve, he said and added that Shankar may offer donation to provide annadhanam under the scheme.
