No politics allowed in temple premises; High Court directs Devaswom boards

KOCHI: The High Court has banned the use of temple premises and programs for political party campaigns. The Travancore, Kochi and Malabar Devaswom Boards have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the law. The order applies to all temples under the control of the Devaswoms and within their jurisdiction. The Devaswom Bench comprising Justice V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice K.V. Jayakumar ordered that all temples be provided with guidelines.

The Devaswom boards had earlier clarified that the boards have the authority to issue instructions regarding only rituals and pujas in temples and that the festival programs, including those in the temple, are under the control of the trustees. The order rejected these arguments.

The use of places of worship for political campaigning is prohibited under various sections of the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act. The High Court order came on a petition filed by Kochi native N. Prakash seeking directions to implement this. The petition pointed out that the play 'Ningalenne Communistakki' was performed on April 7 in connection with the Attingal Sree Indilayappan temple festival and that singer Aloshi sang revolutionary songs on the 11th.

The allegations of shouting slogans in favour of SFI during a wedding held at the Thali temple in Kozhikode on April 27 and singing revolutionary songs at the Kadakkal temple in Kollam were raised. The petitioner had argued that the law also applied to temples not under the control of the Devaswom boards. The court had earlier clarified that the interim order issued on April 3 in this regard was applicable everywhere.

Violations of the law should be reported immediately

The High Court directed that if temple programs are used for political campaigning, Devaswom officials should inform the law enforcement agencies and ensure action. There should also be monitoring in temples not under the control of the boards.