SC stays HC order on 'Made Snana'

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the High Court order on the controversial practice of ‘Made Snana’ in Kukke Subramanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district.

Hearing an emergency petition filed by Adivasi Budakattu Hitarakshna Vedike, Karnataka, a Division Bench comprising Justice D K Jain and Justice Madan B Lokur R stayed the High Court ruling and issued notices to all the parties. The SC Bench said: “the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed.”

The Karnataka government had recently filed an affidavit in the High Court modifying the annual ritual and the High Court accepted it.

The government had said devotees would no longer be allowed the practice of rolling over plantain leaves with leftovers of food consumed by the Brahmins. Instead, the food offered to the deity will be directly brought from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to the outer yard in the form of ‘prasadam’ and it will be placed on the plantain leaves.

Any devotee can roll over it as part of their ‘harake’ (offering to the god). It has also been decided against serving food to Brahmins or anybody else in the outer yard on the day the ritual is held.

It has also been decided to ensure that the temple does not encourage, sponsor or permit ‘pankthi bedha’ (caste discrimination while serving food).
The High Court Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen, then disposed of the petition.