While the courts in the northern part of the country were busy hearing Hanuman Chalisa recitation and Gyanvapi mosque-temple row, matters including Pattina Pravesam of Dharmapuram Adheenam, CMRL works on temple lands, a plea against utilising temple funds for senior citizen shelters, allegations of forced conversion in schools, Kopumaramalai idols in Tiruvannamalai, and the tussle between Vadakalai and Thenkalai sections in Kancheepuram Devarajaswami temple were among the litigations that kept the Madras High Court vacation bench busy.

In an unprecedented move, the court heard about a matter on May 15 through a WhatsApp video call. Journalists covering the High Court speculated about the case as the nature of the case was not disclosed initially. Later, scribes got word that it was a petition to conduct a temple car festival in Dharmapuri.

On May 17, the court took up the Vadakalai-Thenkalai tussle as a matter of urgency and allowed the Vadakalai sect to recite hymns praising their gurus.

In the past, the vacation benches of the Madras High Court had heard about several serious matters, including COVID-19. A vacation bench had upheld the State government’s move to implement ‘Samacheer Kalvi’ in 2010. However, the scenario is not the same nowadays.

— M Manikandan, Chennai