MADURAI: Observing that the rights and sentiments of the devotees are important than the expenses to be incurred by the HR&CE department, the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC ordered the HR&CE and forest department authorities to permit daily visits to the Sundara Mahaliga Swamy Temple in Sathuragiri Hills after imposing time restrictions.
The court further directed the HR&CE department to shoulder the cost of the infrastructure and manpower necessary for ensuring the safety of the devotees during their visit. Justice B Pugalendhi observed that devotees were permitted to visit the temple without any restriction in view of a G.O. passed in 1979.
When the devotees’ rights have already been upheld by the government, the forest department cannot restrict their entry and stay in the temple, the judge said. He further directed the HR&CE department to consult with the forest department and impose a new set of guidelines with reasonable restrictions, including that the devotees should be permitted to enter the forest checkpost between 6 am and 10 am daily.
Extortion: Cops get bail
Chennai: Justice Sunder Mohan of Madras HC granted conditional bail to police SIs Raja Singh and Sunny Lloyd in an extortion racket case. He imposed a condition of appearing at the Thousand Lights police station daily and signing the register. The counsels for the policemen submitted they were incarcerated for over 80 days.
Final hearing adjourned
Chennai: The Madras High Court has adjourned the final hearing to April 9, 2025, in the case filed by actor Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films seeking `10 crore damages from actress Nayanthara for unauthorised use of the behind-the-scenes clips of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan movie in her documentary ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale’.