TIRUNELVELI: Three days ahead of their wedding, Gopal Sami and Manju, who belong to SC community (Hindu Puthiraivannar) should be making plans for their future. Instead, they are worrying where to hold the wedding after the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department-managed temple denied permission for the event on the premises as their parents have Christian names.
G Manju (20), daughter of Gnanaraj and Anthonyammal, resides at Vallam village near Sengottai in Tenkasi district. Gopal Sami (28) is the son of Joseph Sami and Komu, residents of Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district. The families decided to conduct the wedding at the Melavasal Balasubramania Swami Temple in Palayamkottai on July 7 and had filed the application on June 24. But the temple denied them permission.
Gopal Sami said “Along with the application, we attached copies of our community certificates.”
However, temple accountant Krishnaveni refused permission after seeing Christian names of the parents and said the temple could not allow such a wedding. When contacted by TNIE, Krishnaveni reiterated the reason for denial, adding the families should have changed their names in the gazette. The joint commissioner of HR & CE department in Tirunelveli Kavitha Priyadharshini could not be reached over the phone.