India

Madras High Court Clarifies Chief Minister Vijay Only Asked to Affirm Faith, Not Convert

By Ayesha Arvind

The Madras High Court ruled that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, a Christian, was not required to convert to Hinduism before entering the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. The court said Vijay was only asked to affirm his reverence for the presiding deity. The bench of Justices G. R. Swaminathan and P. Murugan stated that non‑Hindus wishing to enter Agamic temples in Tamil Nadu must submit an undertaking affirming faith in the deity and agreeing to observe temple customs. In September Vijay signed such an undertaking at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple before proceeding beyond the kodimaram to offer prayers. A 2024 order by Justice S. Srimathy requires non‑Hindus to declare faith and agree to Hindu and temple customs to enter beyond the flagstaff. Vijay had followed a similar procedure at the Tiruchendur Murugan temple in April. The court emphasized that non‑Hindus who do not provide the required undertaking cannot enter Agamic temple premises. The format of the undertaking will be prescribed by each temple. The ruling was issued while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Thangam Venkatesh of Madurai, who sought directions to prevent non‑Hindus from entering temple mandapams and proceeding beyond the kodimaram. The petition also called for enforcement of existing temple‑entry rules. The court noted allegations that non‑Hindus had entered temples displaying religious markers of other faiths without complying with the prescribed requirements, including a case involving a non‑Hindu wearing a skullcap at the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai and an incident involving Madurai Central MLA Badrudeen Mustafa at the Meenakshi Amman temple during Kumbabishekam. The bench clarified that its ruling applies only to Agamic temples and may not extend to other places of worship such as the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, where devotees of different religions congregate.