The Madras High Court has firmly held that preserving temple festivals is itself a constitutional value, and that those who throw chappals (footwear) at devotees during religious processions must be dealt with “with an iron hand.” In the case of Sundaravadivel v. District Collector before the Madurai Bench, Justice L. Victoria Gowri strongly denounced such acts as a grave affront to faith, public decency, and religious harmony.
The court observed that the preservation of centuries‑old, civilizational temple festivals, such as the Chithirai festival centred on Lord Kallazhagar and Meenakshi Amman, is not merely a ritual but a living expression of Tamil and Hindu heritage, protected under the right to freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. The festival, the judge noted, symbolises the confluence of Shaivite and Vaishnavite traditions and the meaningful exercise of faith through established customs.
Rejecting any attempt to treat chappal‑throwing as “ordinary disorderly conduct,” the court stressed that hurling footwear at devotees in a sacred procession is an assault on the dignity of worship and must be treated as a serious offence.
The High Court directed the Madurai police to intensify security, deploy striking‑force vehicles along the procession route, and use preventive and intelligence‑based measures, with a clear warning that anyone caught throwing chappals must be apprehended on the spot and prosecuted.
