A public interest litigation petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the authorities to conduct a peace committee meeting before the commencement of a temple festival in Sivaganga district.
The petitioner S.K.S. Navaneethakrishnan of Devakottai in Sivaganga district sought the conduct of the peace committee meeting before the commencement of the temple festival at the Uruvatti Shri Periyanayagi Amman Temple.
He sought a direction to the authorities to conduct a peace committee meeting before the commencement of the festival for using the existing chapparam/chariot and also for allotment of any one day before the sixth day of Mandagapadi from March 27 to April 5 for the temple festival which belongs to Sivaganga Samasthanam Devasthanam, to the Devendrakula Vellalar community people.
The petitioner said that each community was allotted the Mandagapadi for one day of the temple festival. For several years, the people belonging to the Devendrakula Vellalar community were given the opportunity to celebrate at the Mandagapadi on the third day of the festival. However, this year it was allotted on the ninth day of the festival. It should be allotted before the sixth day of the festival, he said.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and L. Victoria Gowri sought the response on the petition. The court sought to know the provisions under which the peace committee meetings were being convened.
