Chennai: The 206 government trained archakas are a disappointed lot as there was no announcement on appointing them in the HR and CE managed temples in the interim budget tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The archaka students were hoping that the government would make an announcement in the budget after the Supreme Court dismissed the petition challenging appointment of trained and qualified people from all castes as temple priests in December last year. “We have given representation to Chief Minister office, chief secretary, HR and CE minister, department secretary and commissioner urging them to take steps to appoint them in the government administered temple as per the Apex court order,” said Bala Guru, one of the trained archakas students.
Despite the Supreme Court order, the state government is yet to clarify its stand on the issue. Dravidar Kazhagam, a staunch advocate for opening the sanctum sanctorum of the temple for all sections of people, had welcomed the order while other organisation were sceptical about order as it upholds the importance of denomination for appointment of priests in agamas practised temple which indirectly closes the doors on non-Brahmins to become priests.
Interestingly, the DMK, which launched the training programme to make all caste people as temple priest, is also yet to state its stand on the apex court order.
“Since the government has not appealed against the apex court order, we think they have accepted it. Hence they should go ahead and appoint us in prominent temples managed by HR and CE without any further delay,” said Shiva Shankar, another archaka student from Srirangam.
The Supreme Court rather than ending the caste based discrimination in the appointment of temple priest has supported the age old custom, V. Ranganathan, state president of Tamil Nadu Government Trained Archakar Students Association said, adding that his fight against ending untouchability in sanctum sanctorum of the temple would continue. 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 Most Backward Community persons. Interestingly, three persons belonging to Brahmin community who underwent training, are working in the HR and CE run
temples.
