The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : State to await apex court ruling before appointing archakas

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Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

State to await apex court ruling before appointing archakas

B. Kolappan

CHENNAI: The State government has decided to wait for the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court before providing appointment orders to those who have completed their course in the archaka training institutes run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi discussed the issue with Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami, Law Minister Durai Murugan, HR&CE Minister K.R. Periyakaruppan, DK president K. Veeramani, Special Chief Secretary K.S. Sripathy, Law Secretary S. Dheenadayalan and Advocate General G. Masilamani. Age for appointment and apprenticeships were some of the issues that came up for discussion. The matter is likely to come up for hearing in November 4 and the State government will present its case, sources said.

As many as 207 persons have completed training. Of them 40 belonged to SCs/STs, 55 MBCs, 88 BCs and 24 OCs. Training was given in Saivite and Vaishnavite traditions. The Supreme Court, on August 15, 2006, stayed a provision in Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) ordinance, 2006, providing for appointment of archakas in temples without discrimination of caste, creed and custom or usage. The provision was challenged in a batch of writ petitions by Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Sangam, Thenindia Thirukoil Archakargal Paripalana Sabai and others.

Following the stay, the State government dropped the provision. Later, another petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the government’s proposal to appoint archakas without any discrimination of caste, creed and custom and usage on the basis of the recommendations of a high-level committee. The government had constituted the committee to decide on training aspects and qualification required for archakas. The court, however, refused to stay the training programme, after the government gave an undertaking that appointments would not be made.

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