CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition praying for orders to the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to ensure that the contract for running the ‘prasadham kadai’, which sells edible sacred offerings, at the renowned Devarajaswamy temple in Chinna Kancheepuram is given only to men belonging to the Vaishnavite Brahmin community. Justice N Anand Venkatesh observed that Vaishnavites are a sect worshipping Lord Perumal and they do not constitute a specific caste.
The petition, filed by L Ravi of West Mambalam in Chennai, prayed for the court to quash the auction notice dated July 31, 2025 issued by the HR&CE department, and conduct the auction for awarding tender for the ‘prasadham kadai’ as per the conditions contained in the original auction notices dated June 3 and July 4.
The auction notice dated July 31, 2025 had revised the tender condition and fixed the eligibility criteria as experience of five years in preparing ‘prasadham’ in a Vaishnavite temple and running the ‘prasadham kadai’.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who heard the submission of special government pleader NRR Arun Natarajan, found no violation in the clauses of the tender notice dated July 31. Natarajan added that the tender cannot be awarded solely based on a particular community, and noted that the Madurai Bench of the high court had held that a particular sect cannot be given the rights for preparing the ‘prasadham’.
July 31 notice altered tender condition: Petitioner
The petitioner had said that the July 31 notice that altered the tender condition was nothing but “a colourable exercise of power” and it was against the “principles of natural justice and fair play”.
The clause is also against the custom and practice followed in the temple for past 22 years of allowing only Vaishnavite Brahmins to take part in the tender process, the petitioner had contended.