MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Thursday stayed an interim order of a single judge mandating deployment of special police force personnel at Subramaniya Swamy temple in Tiruchendur to ensure peaceful darshan for devotees. The bench said the directions of the single judge converted a service matter plea into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and hence should be heard by it.
The order was passed by the single judge on March 3 while hearing a petition filed by M Seetharaman, a freelance archaga (Thirusudhanthirar) of the temple, challenging his suspension. After accepting Additional Advocate General and the temple counsel’s submission that devotees were being harassed by temple employees, the judge ordered police deployment.
Ruling on an appeal filed by Sri Subramanya Swamy Thirukovil Swathanthira Paribalana Sthalathar Sabha and Seetharaman against the single judge order, a bench of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and R Vijayakumar on Thursday said, “Prima facie, the learned single judge with the portfolio of service matters assigned to that Bench as per roster, could not have undertaken the above task and issued such directions. These directions, therefore, need to be stayed.”
Noting that a larger issue was involved and the single judge order had already been implemented, the judges decided to hear the cases — the appeals and the main petition — on Friday (April 1). The single judge, in a subsequent interim order on March 23 based on Seetharaman’s plea, had also issued a slew of directions to regulate VIP darshan and maintain cleanliness and basic amenities at the temple. The same has not been challenged yet but was discussed during the hearing.