High Court dismisses plea challenging entry of Christian priests into temple

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The Kerala High Court has dismissed a plea challenging the introduction of 2 Christian priests into the Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple successful Pathanamthitta territory successful 2023, alleging that it violated the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965.

Pronouncing the order, the High Court said that “statutes, rules and regulations ought not to beryllium permitted to go instruments for fomenting discord oregon disharmony betwixt antithetic religions, castes, sub-castes oregon communities.” Instead, the ineligible model indispensable relation arsenic a unifying unit that fosters communal respect and coexistence, the tribunal noted.

The tribunal was considering a petition seeking to state arsenic amerciable the introduction of Zacharias Mar Aprem of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and different Christian clergyman during a Sreekrishna Jayanthi relation connected September 7, 2023. The priests had been invited to the temple arsenic guests to be the event.

The plea, filed by Sanil Narayanan Nampoothiri, a teacher from Kulanada, besides sought directions to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the temple authorities to forestall the introduction of non-Hindus into the shrine.

A seat of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar said that the priests were permitted introduction arsenic guests by the tantri, which was fundamentally chiseled from an introduction claimed arsenic a substance of right.

The tribunal noted that the purpose of the 1965 Act was to licence the introduction of each sects and classes of Hindus into temples and to forestall favoritism among them. However, portion framing the rules, Rule 3(a) introduced a prohibition connected the introduction of non-Hindus, adjacent though the genitor Act contained nary specified restriction.

On the question of the evident inconsistency betwixt the Act and Rule 3(a), the tribunal said the authorities should analyse whether the regularisation requires reconsideration, amendment oregon modification to bring it successful enactment with legislative intent and law principles.

Published - February 07, 2026 06:30 p.m. IST

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