Read Time: 04 minutes
Court was dealing with a plea moved by a widow woman alleging that she and her son were being restricted from attending a temple festival.
The Madras High Court on Friday directed the police authorities in Erode district of Tamil Nadu to ensure that no obstruction is caused to a widow woman and her son in participating in the Aadi festival of Periyakaruparayan temple in Nambiyur.
The temple festival is to be celebrated on August 9 and 10, 2023. The woman had moved the high court alleging that she and her son were being threatened by 2 local men who had told her that she should not enter the temple since she is a widow. The woman had approached the local police earlier but to no avail.
The single judge bench of Justice N Anand Venkatesh held that the local men had no right to stop the petitioner woman and her son from attending the festival and worshiping God.
The bench said, "It is quite unfortunate that the archaic beliefs that if a widow enters a temple it will cause impurity continues to prevail in this State. Even though the reformers are attempting to break all these senseless beliefs, it continues to be practiced in some villages. These are the dogmas and the rules framed by man to suit his convenience and it actually demeans a woman just because she has lost her husband".
Stressing that such practices cannot be continued, the bench said, "All this can never continue in a civilized society, which is governed by rule of law. If any such attempt is made by anyone to stop a widow from entering the temple, action must be taken against them in accordance with law".
Further, acknowledging the woman's inherent self-identity, court asserted, "A woman, by herself, has a status and identity and that cannot in any way come down or be taken away depending upon her marital status".
Case Title: Thangamani v The Collector, Erode District and Others
Please Login or Register
