Temple body to contest order ending upper caste privilege

The devaswom has 1,300 members.

Seven decades after the historical temple proclamation allowing entry of backward Hindus in temples,patches of caste discrimination still exist in Kerala,which is otherwise credited with several progressive movements.

On Tuesday,a munsiff court in Thrissur ordered that Hindus of all castes were eligible to become the members of the managing committee and general body of the Thiruvambady temple affairs (devaswom),ruled by upper class Hindus for the last 60 years. However,unmoved by the court order,the Hindu upper class governing body has decided to go for an appeal to retain the privilege in managing temple affairs.

Thiruvambady devaswom is one of the organisers of the Thrissur pooram,a major festival in Kerala. The devaswom has 1,300 members.

The petition was moved in the munsiff court by backward Hindu outfit Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogams Thrissur union president K V Sadanandan,who argued against the discrimination based on caste in a modern,democratic world. It was against the Indian Constitution to restrict the governance of the Thiruvambady temple to upper class Hindus alone. In 1967,the temple body had made a bylaw which specifically said only upper class Malayali Hindus should be the members of the temple bodies. Even Tamil Brahmins living in the temple premises are kept away from governing body,he said.

Sadanandan said before moving the court in 2009,he had pleaded the Left government to end the cast system. Unfortunately,the politicians were not ready to intervene,forcing me to approach the court. I have also moved against the Thrissur-based Paremekkavu temple governing board,another organiser of the pooram festival,which too had slammed the door on lower class Hindus, said the backward Hindu leader.

Admitting the arguments of the petitioner,judge N V Raju nullified the bylaw in the temple constitution. The conditions of the temple governing body were unconstitutional,discriminatory and untenable in a legal system,the court observed.

Reacting to the court verdict,Thiruvambady devaswom president M Madhavan Kutty said the temple committee would move an appeal against the munsiff courts verdict. Status quo has been granted till October 10.

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He said there was no discrimination at the temple. All Hindus are allowed to worship at the temple and work in the temple. Then,where is the alleged discrimination. The administration was consigned to the Hindu upper class by temple bylaw existing for several decades. We would seek legal opinion whether a court verdict can nullify the bylaw of a temple governing body.

Petitioner Sadanandan said it was morally wrong on the part of the administration to go for an appeal to retain the crude regulation. They (upper class Hindus) wanted to enjoy the financial benefits from the temple,he said.

It was in 1936,when the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (present South Kerala) made the Temple Entry Proclamation,which allowed backward Hindus and Dalits to worship in all temples.