KOCHI: Coming to the rescue of a temple priest who was suspended for accepting a ‘dakshina’ of Rs 20 for giving out a sacred thread, the Kerala High Court directed the Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) to reinstate him.The court issued the order on the petition filed by Suresh Empranthiri, the melsanthi of Thiruvanikavu Bhagavathy temple, Machad in Wadakkanchery, seeking to quash the CDB order of his suspension.
Passing the interim order, the court noted a directive in the Parameswaran Namboothiri Vs Travancore Devaswom Board, in which the Division Bench had held ‘santhikars’ were eligible to receive ‘dakshina’. Receiving a ‘dakshina’ as offered by a devotee was quite different from insisting on a particular amount as ‘dakshina’ or insisting on any ‘dakshina’.
Advocates P J Elvin Peter and K R Ganesh, counsel for the petitioner, submitted the CDB issued the suspension order on allegations the petitioner received the ‘dakshina’ for performing ritual inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. “However, the board’s action was illegal and liable to be set aside as the High Court had earlier held the priest’s receipt of ‘dakshina’ offered by a devotee could not be prohibited by the board,” they submitted.
Why the suspension?
The show cause notice issued to the priest said as per the inquiry by the Vigilance wing of the Devaswom, it was understood there were no ‘vazhipadu’ of ‘sacred thread’ in the temple. However, when an unidentified person asked him, the petitioner agreed to hand over a sacred thread from the sanctum sanctorum. On being asked the thread’s ‘rate’, the petitioner replied there was no ‘vazhipadu chit’ for the same and only ‘dakshina’ was collected from devotees. The person paid Rs 20 to the petitioner. It was alleged the petitioner’s conduct amounted to making unlawful gains and hence he was issued the suspension order on February 14.
Petitioner’s argument
The petitioner submitted the practice of giving sacred thread to devotees was not uncommon in Bhagavathy temples and it was devotees’ belief that whenever a priest does ritual service with utmost sincerity, they should be rewarded. “The devotees show their reverence by giving ‘dakshina’ which priests accept. The same cannot be construed as siphoning off money from devotees,” the petitioner said.