Madras High Court imposes dress code for temple-goers

Till it decides the issue, the government should implement the dress code prescribed by the court from January 1, 2016, said Justice S. Vaidyanathan.

The judge directed the state government and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department to strictly ensure that male devotees wear dhoti or pyjamas with upper cloth or formal trousers and shirts and female devotees wear saree or half saree with blouse or churidhars. Children should wear any fully covered dress. There is no bar for police, fire and rescue services personnel and security guards to wear uniforms, prescribed by their respective departments inside the temples, the judge added.

He directed the HR & CE department to issue a circular to all temples to strictly adhere to the dress code from January 1 by putting up the instruction in notice board. “Police shall not allow devotees inside any Hindu temple of TN, who wear dresses other than the one prescribed above”, the judge added.

Justice Vaidyanathan observed that the main object of prescribing dress code to devotees was to restrict some of them visiting shrines in improper clothing.

Citing the dress code followed by Christian and Islamic religions, the judge pointed out that the famous Sri Somnath temple in Gujarat had recently imposed a dress code banning short skirts and shorts by putting up a board about 200 metres away from the main temple to the effect that “Not allowed inside the temple improper disrespectful dress.”

Even the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams started implementing a dress code for everyone, including VIPs, who want to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara in the morning and evening, the judge said.

The judge, however, made it clear there were certain procedures being followed in some temples, like Tiruchendur, by prohibiting boys and men to wear upper cloth, while entering the temple for worship and the same can be followed by such temples till a decision was arrived at by the government. Likewise, the temples, which were not coming within the purview of the government, shall strictly enforce their own traditional dress code.

Originally, Rasu filed a petition to direct police to grant permission and protection for “Gramiya Adal Padal Vizha” at Sri Shenbaga Vinayagar temple at Akkiyampatti village in Tiruchirappalli district. By an interim order, the judge had permitted the petitioner to conduct the programme with certain conditions, including dress code, and posted the matter for reporting compliance.

When it was reported that the programme was conducted in a disciplined manner by following the court imposed conditions, the judge passed the final order with the directives.