CHENNAI: All officials and staff of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department must take a pledge within eight weeks that they profess Hindu religion, the Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday. It directed the State government to ensure the order is complied with.
The division bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Krishnan Ramasamy referred to Rule 10 under the HR&CE Act which says that all officials and staff, including the commissioner of the department, shall be a person professing Hindu religion. Citing the rule, the court said the person ceases to be a staff or official of the department when he ceases to profess the religion.
The HR & CE Department governs most of the big temples in the State. The court passed the order based on a public interest litigation petition filed by one S Sridharan. The petitioner alleged that several senior officials of the department had not taken a pledge to the effect that they are Hindus by birth and are professing the Hindu religion. The petitioner argued, “As per the provisions, every person appointed under the Act shall sign a pledge in the prescribed format and take the pledge in the immediate presence of the executive officer or chairman of the board of trustees of the religious institution before the presiding deity in the nearest temple.”The court in its order on Tuesday, found merits in the petitioner’s submissions.
Get pledges in 8 weeks
The bench said, “It is not the fault of them not taking the pledge... In such view of the matter, we direct the above-mentioned authorities to see that all officers up to the cadre of Commissioner HR&CE are to be made to undergo the process of taking pledge a fresh and it has to be done within a period of 8 weeks.” The bench said it not just the lower grade staff, the rule must apply with more rigour to the officials.