HYDERABAD : Justice NV Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Monday called upon senior counsels to propose the appointment of a scholar or a mutt to resolve the contentious issue surrounding the Ram Navami celestial wedding at the Bhadrachalam temple. The judge is presiding over a batch of writ pleas filed by one GTV Manindhar and others.
Senior counsels DV Sitharam Murthy and Hariharan reiterated the presence of multiple religious irregularities concerning the celestial wedding, particularly emphasising changes made in the last decade. Murthy emphasised that the religious beliefs pertaining to Rama and Sita, as depicted in the Ramayana, cannot be disregarded. He argued against conducting the celestial marriage with the gotra and pravara of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, asserting that such actions would be a travesty of religious belief.
‘Traditions safeguarded by Endowments Act’
Echoing similar sentiments, Hariharan highlighted the provisions of the Endowments Act, asserting that all customs and usages are safeguarded as rights under the Act. Senior counsel L Ravichander, representing the impleaded petitioner KE Sthalasai, emphasised that the controversy surrounding Lord Rama and Lord Vishnu introduces an unnecessary dichotomy in ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
Ravichander emphasised that the customs and usages of the Bhadrachalam temple are prescribed by relevant Aagamashastra, and any allegations of changes to the gotra and pravara lack substantial evidence. He stressed that invoking the HC’s jurisdiction on such matters is misconceived.
In response to the arguments, Justice Shravan Kumar asked the senior counsels to explore the possibility of referring the matter to an expert.