Karnataka High Court asks Madikeri temple not to stop those wearing decent traditional attire

The court noted that if the office bearers of the society are preventing any person wearing traditional Kodava attire and decent enough from entering the temple premises, such action will be arbitrary and opposed to public policy.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court on Wednesday directed the office bearers of a society managing Sri Maha Mrityunjaya Mahadeshwara Temple in Madikeri, Kodagu district not to prevent any person wearing traditional clothes, which are decent enough, from entering the temple premises.

Justice R Devdas gave this direction in a petition filed by Sanju CA and Amith Beemaiah alleging that the society has been preventing the Kodavas from entering the temple premises in their traditional attire.

The petition stated that a few persons registered a society on October 10, 2024 to take care of the affairs of the temple at the Kattemadu Village in Madikeri. One of byelaws, clause 7, is that no person of a particular community shall perform rituals in the temple premises. The advocate for the petitioners submitted that such a direction would be opposed to public policy.

It was submitted that in the guise of applying a rule that no person will enter scantily clad and that one should enter with the customary clothes of Indian tradition, the persons with the traditional Kodava attire are sought to be prevented from entering the temple premises.

The petitioners also produced a communication by the Revenue Officer to the Tahsildar, Madikeri Taluk, in which it was stated that during the celebrations in the temple between December 23 and 27, some persons wearing traditional Kodava attire were not permitted to enter the temple premises.

The court noted that though clause 7 does not state that no person wearing Kodava traditional attire can enter the temple premises, if the office bearers of the society are preventing any person wearing traditional Kodava attire and decent enough from entering the temple premises, such action will be arbitrary and opposed to public policy.

“The concerned office bearers of the second respondent temple/society are hereby directed not to prevent any person wearing traditional clothes which are decent enough, from entering the temple premises,” the court said. The court has ordered notice to the office bearers of the society, other authorities and posted further hearing to February 27.