Chennai: Students who had undergone archakas training course in 2007 had planned a celebration near Periyar Statue on Anna Salai on Wednesday afternoon expecting a favourable order from the Supreme Court striking down the petition challenging appointment of trained and qualified people from all castes as temple priests. But they cancelled the event after the apex court issued an order disappointing them.
“Our wait for seven years ended in a big disappointment. The Supreme Court rather than ending the caste-based discrimination in the appointment of temple priests has supported the age old custom,” V. Ranganathan, president of Tamil Nadu Government Trained Archakar Students Association, said.
The apex court by upholding the importance of denomination for appointment of priests in agama- practised temples has indirectly closed the doors on non-Brahmins to become priests, he said adding all the appointments made under the GO would be challenged in the local courts.
The then DMK government issued a G.O in May 2006 declaring that suitably trained and qualified Hindus, without “discrimination of caste, creed, custom or usage” were to be appointed as archakas in any of the 36,000 HR and CE administered temples.
Ranganathan was one among the 206 students who underwent training in the six training institutes set up by DMK government in 2007. Among the 206 students, 34 were Dalits and 55 belonged to the Most Backward
Community. Only a small number had managed to become priests in private temples while others were working as as loadmen, some in restaurants, some as car drivers and many others do assorted jobs. Interestingly, three persons belonging to Brahmin community who underwent training were appointed in HR and CE run temples.
T. Marichamy, who underwent priest training in Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, said he joined the course after seeing advertisements inviting applications for the free course with a monthly stipend of Rs 500 and a job at a government- administered temple after completing it. “We were very confident of the SC giving an order in our favour as discrimination of people based on caste is against the Constitution,” he said.
Advocate S. Raju of Makkal Athigaram said since the SC had not struck down the GO, the state should go ahead and appoint the archakas trained students in HR and CE run temples, including Meenakshmi Amman temple.
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