CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has said paid darshan should not be allowed in temples because middlemen have no business to do between devotees and deities.
Hearing a batch of petitions on various issues concerning temples administered by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department on Monday, a division bench comprising Justices R Mahadevan and PD Audikesavalu said, “Everyone should be treated equally before God. There shouldn’t be any middlemen acting between the devotees and the God.”
It directed a petitioner, Rangarajan Narasimhan, of Tiruchy, who had orally complained about the prevalence of paid darshan at the Srirangam temple in Tiruchy, to file a petition regarding the matter. The bench also asked the government to submit a report indicating steps to regulate such darshan.
In another petition, filed by one Radhakrishnan, the court ordered the State government to submit a detailed report on the arrears of rentals lessees owe the HR&CE department. “We should know the exact amount of district-wise arrears, and cases pending before civil courts,” the bench stated.
Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/nov/02/madras-hc-bats-for-free-darshan-in-temples-2378613.html
