‘Authorities not bound by oral orders to ban live telecast of Ram temple consecration’
The Supreme Court on Monday termed “atrocious” the reasons given by the Tamil Nadu Police while rejecting an application by a local temple in the state’s Dindigul district seeking permission for almsgiving (annadanam) in connection with the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event.
The bench presided by Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a pea which alleged that on January 20, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had “issued oral orders/Directions to the Police Department not to permit any kind of Poojas, Archanas, Annadhanam, Live Telecast of Pran Prathishta, Bhajans and processions in the name of Lord Ram on the auspicious occasion of “Pran Prathista” of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, in all the Temples in the State of Tamil Nadu irrespective of whether it is a Private Temple controlled by the TN HRCE Department”.
“If the order on page 21 (of the petition) is to be made applicable across Tamil Nadu, wherever there are minorities, they will never be able to hold a prayer meeting… See the reason. Here the Hindus are in the minority, if they are given permission to hold this prior meeting that will cause problems in the society. Is this a reason?” asked Justice Dipankar Datta, who was part of a two-judge bench.
“You regulate it, you have the power. You have the power to pass orders regulating all these processions. But this reason is atrocious,” Justice Datta added.