Chennai: A year has passed since the Supreme Court struck down the petition challenging the appointment of trained and qualified people from all castes as temple priests in Tamil Nadu.
But the state government continues to maintain a conspicuous silence on the appointment of 206 trained priests who underwent Archaka Training Course conducted by the DMK government in 2007.
Disappointed by the inaction of the state government, the trained priests were considering moving the Madras High Court seeking a direction to appoint them in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment administered temples.
“We have no other option but to move the high court seeking a direction to the government to appoint us in the temple administered by HR and CE,” said R. Arun, one of the government trained priests and working in a private temple in Salem, told DC.
Ever since the apex court gave its order in December 2015, the trained priests were knocking the doors of the state administration, including chief minister’s cell and the HR and CE with petitions requesting appointments, he said.
“We have also got a reply from the HR and CE department saying that only trained priests will be henceforth appointed in the temples as per the court order. One need not belong to a particular caste to be appointed as a temple priest. But the priest will be appointed as per the temple’s custom and usage and agamas only,” he cited the reply.
Tamil Nadu Government Trained Archakar Students’ Association coordinator V. Ranganathan said there was no clarity on appointments of priests in the HR and CE run temples. “In the reply from CM’s cell on February 19, 2016, it was mentioned that the qualified priests would be appointed through Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and Employment Exchange. Whereas the HR and CE department in its reply dated March contradicts the CM’s Cell and mentions that the priest would be appointed by the temple administration with the consent of the board,” he said, pointing out that the training course was launched, the government had promised appoint the trained priest in the HR and CE temple.
However, he alleged that in most of the temples, the priest appointments were made based on hereditary basis, even though the state government has banned hereditary appointments. “We want the state government to immediately appoint all the 206 trained priests in the HR and CE run temples or to pay the stipend for them,” he demanded.
The SC gave the ruling on the appointment of archakas to be as per Agama Shastras while disposing of a batch of petitions filed challenging the GO of May 2006. As the court has not held whether the G.O. is valid or not, it will be open to the government to contend that appointments can be made as per the G.O. as long as such appointments are in conformity with Agama Shastras. And whenever a dispute is raised questioning the appointment, the issue has to be decided as per the facts of that case, the bench added.
