In a significant judgment, the Madras High Court on Monday set aside the order of a single judge imposing dress code on devotees visiting temples, while taking a critical view saying the judge had gone beyond the scope of the litigation and triggered a widespread public debate. A Division Bench of justices V Ramasubramanian and K Ravichandrababu, which heard the matter, noted that the relief claimed in the original writ petition was to direct the police to grant permission to organise a cultural programme on the premises of Sri Shenbaga Vinayagar temple located at Akkiyampatti village in Tiruchy district, and it had nothing to do with the implementation of a dress code. “Courts are not expected to adjudicate any matter academically in the absence of any real litigation between parties, and courts are not entitled to create a controversy and adjudicate upon the same,” the Bench observed.