In the Madras High Court, Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed local authorities to remove one such stone that had been placed at the entrance of a private property.
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CHENNAI: The Madras High Court made a significant statement regarding the identification of religious idols. The court, led by Justice Venkatesh, addressed a peculiar dispute that challenged the conventional understanding of what constitutes a religious idol. This case highlights the complexities faced by the judiciary when confronted with matters deeply intertwined with faith and tradition.
The crux of the matter revolved around a contention over a stone, with one party claiming it to be a religious idol deserving of veneration, while the other party dismissed it as merely a stone. The State had argued that the removal of such a stone was a civil dispute, suggesting that it should be adjudicated by a civil court. However, the court decisively rejected this submission, with Justice Venkatesh articulating the impracticality and absurdity of expecting a civil court to determine the spiritual status of a stone.
Justice Venkatesh elaborated on the dilemma, stating,
“A very funny situation will arise before the civil Court wherein the seventh respondent will claim that the stone must be treated as an idol and the petitioner will state that it is merely a stone and not an idol. It will become impossible for the Court to decide whether it is a stone or it has uplifted itself into the status of an idol. Fortunately, in our country, no court exercises ecclesiastical jurisdiction.”
This observation points to the inherent limitations of the legal system in adjudicating matters of faith, which often transcend the tangible and enter the realm of belief and tradition.
The judge further lamented the persistence of superstitious beliefs within society, suggesting a stagnation in societal evolution over time.
“It is quite unfortunate that such superstitious beliefs continue to prevail in the society and people do not seem to evolve by passage of time. No useful purpose will be served by initiating proceedings before the civil Court and in fact, it will be a waste of judicial time to ponder over such a frivolous issue,”
-Justice Venkatesh remarked.
This statement not only reflects the court’s stance on the specific dispute but also comments on the broader challenge of reconciling legal reasoning with deeply ingrained cultural and religious practices.
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This ruling from the Madras High Court serves as a poignant reminder of the complex interplay between law, religion, and societal norms. It underscores the judiciary’s cautious approach in engaging with disputes rooted in religious belief, emphasizing the need for legal proceedings to remain within the bounds of rational and secular adjudication.
As society continues to grapple with these age-old dilemmas, the court’s decision highlights the importance of evolving beyond superstitious beliefs and towards a more reasoned and enlightened understanding of faith and its place in the legal domain.
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