The Madras High Court has criticised the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department for permitting VIP darshan in temples, declaring that all are equal before God and the deity cannot be made to wait for ministers to visit.
The remarks were made by a division bench of Justices G R Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan when a PIL petition filed by P Chokkalingam, president of VHP in north Tamil Nadu, seeking to abolish VIP darshan came up for hearing. The bench also questioned the need for having the practice of VIP darshan and paid darshan of the deity in temples.
Additional Advocate General P V Balasubramaniam submitted that such practice is being followed for decongesting queues and that it also earns considerable income for the temples.
On allegations of the delayed closure of the Subramaniya Swamy temple in Thiruparankundram when Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar visited recently, the AAG denied them. He explained that the temple would be closed only if all devotees who entered before 1 pm went out after worship, and noted that the minister had entered before the closing time. The bench, however, said the deity cannot be made to wait for ministers to visit.
The court’s strong stance reaffirms that God is accessible to all devotees equally, regardless of status or position.
This judgment aligns with growing demands across Tamil Nadu to end special treatment for VVIPs and ensure fair, equal darshan for all devotees.
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