The Supreme Court, on Monday, directed authorities in Tamil Nadu to adhere to the law and not act based on oral instructions regarding the "banning" of special prayers and live telecasts of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in temples across the state. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, hearing a plea to quash an "oral order" from January 20 prohibiting the live telecast of the Ayodhya consecration ceremony in Tamil Nadu's temples, emphasized that no one is obligated to comply with oral orders.
The bench accepted the statement of senior advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, representing Tamil Nadu, that there are no restrictions on 'puja archana' in temples or live telecasts of the Ayodhya consecration ceremony. Tiwari argued that the plea is "politically motivated."
The court instructed authorities to record the reasons for allowing or disallowing applications for 'Puja archana' and live telecasts of the consecration ceremony in temples. The Tamil Nadu government has been given until January 29 to respond to the plea, filed by Vinoj, who alleges that the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu has banned live telecasts of Lord Ram's "pran prathishta" in all temples across the state. The plea also claims that the government has banned prayers and activities like 'annadanam' (poor feeding) and 'bhajans' on the occasion.
In response, Tamil Nadu's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, P K Sekar Babu, asserted on Sunday that the HR and CE Department has not imposed any ban on the puja for Shri Ram. He clarified that there is no restriction on distributing 'Annadhanam' and 'Prasadam.' Babu dismissed the claims as false news with ulterior motives.
(With Agency Inputs)
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