CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal petition filed by the Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam seeking orders to the administrators of the Kancheepuram Varadaraja Perumal temple to provide special honours to the mutt head stating that such honours cannot be claimed as a right. A division bench of justices S M Subramaniam and C Kumarappan passed the orders recently.
“This court is of the considered view that these kinds of special honours cannot be construed as an absolute right,” the bench said. “The first honour is always to the deities in the temple,” it asserted.
The bench further stated that honouring heads of mutts, though being followed as practice, shall be decided by the competent authority (HR&CE department) as per the HR&CE Act.
The petitioner-mutt prayed for setting aside a single judge’s order dated February 28, 2023, passed on a petition filed by Thathadesikar Thiruvamsathar Sabha after the Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam head was provided special honours. He prayed for directions that such honours shall not be given to any one other than heads of five mutts.
Recording the submission of the advocate general that the temple administration would not alter the practice of offering special honours to only the five mutt heads, the single judge had closed the petition.
Stating that they were not a party to the writ petition and could not place before the single judge, the Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam filed the appeal seeking to set aside the single judge’s order.