MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday directed the Thoothukudi superintendent of police and the officials of Tiruchendur Subramaniya Swamy temple to take action, including criminal prosecution, to prevent unauthorised persons or middlemen from collecting illegal fee from devotees under the guise of enabling the latter to have a shorter wait time for darshan.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by A S Shanmuga Rajan of Chennai for the above relief, a bench of justices S M Subramaniam and G Arul Murugan observed that it is the duty of the officials of the HR & CE department and the temple administration to ensure devotees are able to offer worship in a peaceful and disciplined manner. Peace and tranquility should be maintained on the temple premises by making necessary arrangements and eliminating such illegal activities, they added.
The temple administration is bound to initiate all action with the assistance of the police, by making necessary requests before the SP, so that such persons are removed from the temple premises, they further said.
The bench suo motu impleaded the Thoothukudi SP in the case and directed the official to provide additional police force to remove the unauthorised persons with assistance from the temple administration, and in the event of identification of any offence or illegalities, register cases and prosecute them. The case was adjourned for a month.