KOCHI: The Gowda Saraswatha Brahmin community in the state are a delighted lot with the Supreme Court verdict stating that Sudheendra Swami will continue as the chief of the Kashi Math Samsthan.
In a judgment on Wednesday, the Division Bench of the Supreme Court said Gowda Saraswatha Brahmin's spiritual leader Sudheendra Swami shall continue to work as the chief of the Math till his demise. Rejecting the appeal filed by Raghavendra Thirtha Swami, the court said that after the demise of Sudheendra Swami, his next shishya or his nominated successor can assume the office.
"The community is very much elated. It is unfortunate that the issue reached the court. For the past 10 years the community has been divided into two. The division was reflected among the people who belong to the community in Ernakulam. But now the members of the community consider the Supreme Court judgment a turning point. I'm hopeful that once again there will be unity in the community,'' said R Bhaskar Shenai, president of the Anugraha Charitable Trust.
Ernakulam Thirumala Devaswom president P Rangadasa Prabhu said that the majority of the community members in the state is happy with the Supreme Court decision. "There are celebrations all around. There were some special prayers at the temple," he said. Prabhakara Prabhu, president of the Sudheendra Medical Mission, said that the decision would have a great impact on the followers of Sudheendra Swami.
People in the Gowda Saraswatha Brahmin community in the state celebrated the verdict by distributing sweets.