Thu Apr 10 14:45:28 UTC 2025: ## Madurai Court Allows Temple Festival to Proceed Despite Stay on Caste-Based Invitations
**Madurai, Tamil Nadu, April 10, 2025** – The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has issued a four-week interim stay on a circular from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department prohibiting the inclusion of Mandagapadi members’ names in invitations for the Panguni Perunthiruvizha festival at Kasinathaswamy and Papanasamswamy temples in Ambasamudram. However, the court has permitted the festival to continue.
The stay was granted in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by S. Arumuga Nainar, who argued that the HR&CE circular misinterprets a previous High Court ruling. He contended that the earlier ruling, concerning a different temple, was specific to its circumstances and didn’t mandate a statewide ban on listing Mandagapadi members in invitations. Nainar emphasized that his temple provides equal opportunities to all castes and communities.
The court ordered notice to the concerned authorities and will hear the case again in four weeks. The earlier High Court ruling, which the current case references, addressed the issue of caste-based listings in temple festival invitations, deeming the practice unwarranted if based solely on financial contributions. It directed the inclusion of all communities in future temple festivals.
First Piper 