Was Thirupparankundram temple closure delayed to facilitate Minister Nirmalkumar’s visit? asks Madras High Court

The Madras High Court connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) called for a study from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) section regarding alleged hold successful closing the Thirupparankundram Subramaniasamy temple successful Madurai territory connected May 15 to facilitate the sojourn of Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar who had been elected from Thirupparankundram constituency.

A summertime abrogation Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan broached the taxable during the proceeding of a nationalist involvement litigation petition filed for abolishing peculiar paid darshan and VIP darshan successful temples but for definite exceptions. The judges directed the HR&CE section to marque definite that the study sought for by them gets filed earlier the tribunal by May 29, 2026.

The PIL petition had been filed by P. Chockalingam, the North Tamil Nadu portion president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He insisted connected abolishing the paid peculiar darshan and VIP darshan successful temples but for granting exemption to Jeeyars, Ubayadarar, elder citizens, the physically challenged devotees, large women, recently joined couples, heads of State, law authorities and truthful on.

The petitioner’s counsel B. Jagannath told the tribunal astir 36,000 temples were nether the power of HR&CE section successful Tamil Nadu. Though the Sanatana Dharma does not licence favoritism successful temple introduction connected the ground of the economical presumption of devotees, the HR&CE section had been facilitating peculiar paid darshan successful astir each temples for the payment of those who could spend to pay, helium complained.

The counsel told the tribunal neither the HR&CE Act of 1959 nor the Temple Entry Act of 1947 oregon immoderate different statutory rules oregon regulations licence the postulation of wealth from devotees for a speedy darshan of the deities successful a temple. “This is thing but a caller innovation created by the responsive section to garner gross and indulge successful exploitation of devotees and fleece them successful the sanction of peculiar darshan,” helium said.

He went connected to state: “Having darshan of the deity is simply a substance of religion and wealth cannot beryllium a obstruction oregon a instrumentality to find however to conscionable one’s maker. It should beryllium devotion and not money, presumption oregon presumption of powerfulness that should find however 1 tin conscionable the Lord.”