CHENNAI: Madras high court has reaffirmed that only the Thengalai sub-sect of Sri Vaishnava holds exclusive rights to lead religious recitations and rituals at the Sri Devarajaswamy Temple in Kancheepuram.A division bench of Justice R Suresh Kumar and Justice S Sounthar delivered the judgment on Tuesday while disposing of a batch of writ petitions, writ appeals and a contempt case filed by members of the Thengalai and Vadagalai sects. The long-standing conflict concerns the right to recite Sri Sailesa Dayapatram and the concluding Vazhi Thirunamam, as well as leadership in rendering the Nalayira Divya Prabandham during temple worship.The court observed that earlier landmark judgments from 1882, 1915, 1939, and 1969 already determined that the Adhyapaka Mirasi rights belong exclusively to the Thengalai sect residing in Kanchipuram. The bench ruled that these findings continue to remain legally valid and enforceable, noting that the Vadagalai sect’s participation must be limited to joining the recitation as worshippers without independent invocation.The court rejected arguments that pre-constitutional rulings violated fundamental rights and held that constitutional religious rights cannot alter established temple customs or rituals, especially where no restriction exists on an individual’s right to worship.The judges then set aside an interim order passed by a single judge that permitted both sects to offer parallel recitations. They dismissed petitions filed by the Vadagalai group seeking performance rights, allowed petitions seeking enforcement and police protection, and directed authorities to ensure the smooth conduct of rituals per established practice.
