CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday stayed the operation of an order issued on September 25 last of the tahsildar in Sandaipatti in Sulur taluk, Coimbatore district, which restrained a local priest from preaching Christianity in a hall constructed in his own property.Justice K Ravichandrabaabu granted the injunction while admitting and passing interim orders on a writ petition from Selvasingh Samuel (37) of Sultanpet challenging the tahsildar’s order.
The order directed the petitioner to stop conducting prayers without permission from the district administration.According to senior advocate P Wilson, the petitioner had inherited a vast extent of landed property in Sultanpet from his father P Vinobha, who died in 1997. He was regularly conducting prayer meetings on Saturdays, Sundays and other holy days and a large number of local Christians attended them. As the patronage grew, he constructed a big hall after obtaining necessary permission from the local authorities concerned in September, 2016 and he continued to hold the meetings.
However, the local tahsildar, through his September 25 order, advised him to stop conducting prayer meetings without permission from the district administration. Wilson pointed out to a judgment of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, which held in 2006 that no permission was required to practise Christianity or to conduct prayers.
Nowhere in any Act, has it been mentioned that permission is required to conduct prayers. Further, conducting prayers does not require any permission from any administration. The stand of the tahsildar was illegal, unlawful and was in violation of Article 25 of the Constitution, Wilson contended.The judge granted the interim injunction staying the operation of the tahsildar’s September 25 order.