The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Vayalar Ravi's son says he has lodged complaint

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Sunday, Jun 03, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Vayalar Ravi's son says he has lodged complaint

Row over purification rites takes a new turn

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran said that the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple high priest could be prosecuted if a complaint was lodged by Vayalar Ravi's son over a purification ceremony, the latter on Saturday said he had already asked the temple authorities in writing to look into the embarrassment faced by his family.

``My complaint is already there before the Guruvayur Devaswom managing committee. It is for the authorities to act upon it,'' Mr. Ravikrishna said when asked about Mr. Sudhakaran's statement on Friday that the Government was ready to prosecute the tantri for the `punyaham' after Mr. Ravikrishna's visit on the ground that his mother hailed from a Christian family.

On the rider that the complaint should be supported by proper documents to prove that he is a Hindu, Mr. Ravikrishna said if anybody had any doubt, they could very well verify the records at the institutions where he studied. ``Moreover, if your father is a Hindu, the presumption is that you are a Hindu. It is prima facie self-evident,'' he said.

The argument of tantri Chennas Raman Namboodiripad that a person's religion was determined on the basis of his or her mother's faith was not sustainable as the matriarchal system had been abolished by an Act of the Assembly some 30 years ago, he said.

Purification rites

The controversy arose following the conduct of the punyaham after the first rice feeding of Mr. Ravikrishna's son in the temple on May 18.

The argument that the mother's religion was the basis for determining a person's faith could be seen only as a ``later day justification'' after the issue hotted up, Mr. Ravikrishna said.

``I expect that the temple managing committee will consider my letter when it holds its next meeting,'' he added.

He said it was a sad commentary on the secular society that the State had to step in and legislate on matters of religion and belief. On the larger question of ``who is a Hindu,'' which often came up in the context of the Guruvayur temple where non-Hindus are not allowed, he said there were different Acts which defined it differently.

Mr. Sudhakaran had on Friday said that the priest's act amounted to caste discrimination which was an offence under the Indian Penal Code. The issue also involved violation of the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936, by which the Hindu temples were made accessible to all castes in the Hindu fold. Considering this, the Government would explore legal possibilities in the matter.

— PTI

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