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This story is from February 11, 2022

What's paramount, country or religion: Madras HC amid hijab row

What's paramount, country or religion: Madras HC amid hijab row
The first bench comprising the chief justice and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy made the observation on a batch of PILs filed to permit only believers of 'Sanatana Dharma' into Hindu temples and to bar atheists from temples.
CHENNAI: "What is paramount? The country or the religion? It is shocking that somebody is going behind a hijab and somebody is going behind a dhoti. Is this one country or is it divided by religion," the Madras high court wondered while hearing a PIL seeking restricted entry into Hindu temples.
Pointing out the fact that India is a secular country, Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari said: "What is found from the current affairs is nothing but an effort to divide the country in the name of religion."
The first bench comprising the chief justice and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy made the observation on a batch of PILs filed to permit only believers of 'Sanatana Dharma' into Hindu temples and to bar atheists from temples.
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The petitioner also wanted the court to direct the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to ensure that appropriate dress code is followed by the devotees who enter the temples.
The HC adjourned the hearing pertaining to the dress code for 10 days to allow the petitioner to list incidents where such a breach was noticed.
This apart, the bench dismissed another plea moved by the petitioner, Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam in Tiruchirapalli district, claiming that the live telecast of PM Modi's event rededicating Adi Sankara's samadhi, on the premises of 16 HR&CE temples last month was illegal as it violated HR&CE rules.
Rejecting the plea, the HC said, "The live telecast last month was not for political propagation or agenda."
The petitioner has taken one paragraph out of context and without taking note of what the theme of the speech was, the judges said: "Therefore, this petition cannot be entertained."
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