Madras High Court Slams Officials For Failing To Stop Caste Discrimination At Karur Temple

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has pulled up district authorities for failing to ensure Scheduled Caste devotees' right to worship at the Chinnatharapuram Mariamman Temple in Karur district.

Justice Pugalendhi, who heard petitions seeking police protection for worship and challenging the closure of the temple, said allowing entry to Scheduled Castes through a court order in 2025 was not a matter of pride but a matter of shame. The judge observed that what social reformers had achieved through moral courage in 1939 was today being enforced only through judicial intervention.

The court recalled historic struggles such as the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25), the Guruvayur Satyagraha (1931-32), and the Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936, which culminated in landmark temple entry rights in Madurai in 1939. The judge said it was regrettable that, despite constitutional guarantees, caste-based discrimination still denied devotees their rights.

Coming down heavily on officials, the court said:

The District Collector and Superintendent of Police are not ornamental posts but constitutional positions.

By failing to act, they have safeguarded discrimination instead of safeguarding rights.

Their dereliction of duty has forced devotees to knock on the doors of the judiciary.

The judge noted that had the authorities convened peace meetings, ensured inclusive worship with the help of HR&CE officials, and provided police protection, the temple need not have remained closed since 2018. Instead, their inaction amounted to "cowardice."

The court also directed that the criminal case filed against 17 persons, including temple administrators, for attempting to prevent Scheduled Caste devotees from entering the temple despite court orders, must be expedited. "Only then will those who obstruct constitutional rights face severe legal consequences, and it will instil fear in anyone attempting to bar worship on caste grounds," the judge said.

Following the court's interim order, the Chinnatharapuram Mariamman Temple has been reopened and Scheduled Caste devotees are being allowed entry under police protection.