The Madras High Court recently directed the Tiruppur Police to grant permission to the Hindu Munnani to install a Vinayagar (Ganesha) idol at Yasin Babu Nagar in Tiruppur as part of its Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations.
The Matter came up before Justice V. Lakshminarayanan who passed the direction while disposing of a petition filed by an Executive Committee Member of the Hindu Munnani, Tiruppur.
The petitioner submitted that the organisation proposed to conduct the Sri Vinayagar Chaturthi festival and procession from September 14 to 17. It also sought permission to install a sound system at the venue and had submitted an application to the authorities on August 11. As no action was taken on the application, the petitioner approached the High Court.
The organisation told the Court that it had been peacefully conducting Vinayaga Chaturthi celebrations for the past 12 years with police assistance. It submitted that the festival was a religious and cultural event and that the use of a sound system within permissible limits was necessary. It also undertook to comply with any conditions imposed by the police.
During an earlier hearing, the Court had questioned why permission was being denied when it had been granted in previous years.
The Government Counsel submitted that while the petitioner had initially sought permission only for a sound system, it was subsequently seeking permission to install a Vinayagar idol at a location where two mosques were situated and a substantial Muslim population resided. The counsel also informed the Court that no Vinayagar idol had been installed at the location for the previous two years.
When the matter was heard on Wednesday (September 9), the Court was informed that the petitioner and police officials had jointly inspected the area and identified a suitable location for installation of the idol.
Taking note of this development, the Court directed the Tiruppur Police to grant permission for installation of the Vinayagar idol at the identified location and disposed of the petition.
While closing the matter, the Court also orally observed that worship is a fundamental right and that the petitioners should not be prevented from installing the idol.
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