Justice L Victoria Gowri of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has taken a serious view of miscreants throwing footwear at devotees during Lord Kallazhagar’s ceremonial journey, culminating in his entry into the Vaigai River as part of the Chithirai festival. Hearing a petition filed by Madurai resident P Sundaravadivel, the judge called the act not only a breach of public order but also an affront to faith, an assault on customary religious practice, and a desecration of the secular fraternity enshrined in the Constitution.
The judge observed that the Chithirai festival is much more than a temple event; it is a civilisational continuum, rooted in Sangam‑era Tamil culture and shaped by centuries of devotion at the Meenakshi Amman and Kallazhagar shrines. She described the annual celebration as a living symbol of the confluence of Shaivite and Vaishnavite traditions, with millions of devotees crossing caste, creed, and economic barriers to participate in a shared public‑faith experience. The court emphasised that such festivals preserve the true Indian sense of secularism as equal reverence and peaceful coexistence of diverse Hindu traditions within a democratic Republic.
The State assured the court of the peaceful conduct of the Kallazhagar procession, and the judge issued strict directions to the Madurai Commissioner of Police. She ordered the deployment of 15–20 striking‑force vehicles along the 7.6‑km procession route, with at least 10 stationed in the riverbed area during the Vaigai‑entry segment. Police personnel in watchtowers were directed to remain on high alert, using drone surveillance to monitor all vulnerable spots in real time.
The court stressed that any person found throwing footwear or engaging in any disruptive act must be apprehended on the spot, proceeded against under relevant laws, and subjected to prompt remand and trial. Preventive and intelligence‑based policing should be intensified throughout the festival period, and authorities must act without hesitation against any attempt to desecrate the sanctity of the procession. Concluding, the judge underlined that such festivals are vital to nurture the constitutional value of fraternity, and that preserving their dignity is essential for the future of young Indians and the spirit of the nation.
