The Madras High Court slammed the intolerance displayed by the Muslim community for not allowing Hindu religious processions by villagers in Kalathur in Perambalur district in Tamil Nadu.

The Madras High Court as reported by the New Indian Express on 8th May, stated, religious intolerance does not bode well for a secular country and ‘resistance’ by one religious group, if reciprocated by the other, could lead to chaos.

A bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and P Velumurugan made these observations when they heard a petition before them filed for allowing the conduct of temple processions by villagers at Kalathur, Perambadur district in TN on a specified route, objected by the local Muslims.

The Court said that according to the Affidavit filed by the DSP, the three days temple festivals were conducted very peacefully till 2012 and only from the year 2012 the Muslims started to object to Hindu festivals terming them as “Sins”.

The Hindu petitioners approached the courts for seeking protection for conducting temple festivals and processions. The temple processions were carried through all the streets of the village till 2012 without problems as per the Court. Even from 2012-2015, processions were carried through all the streets and roads, but later objections were raised.

The judgement notes that, as per Section 180-A of the District Municipalities Act, 1920, roads and streets should be used as a access to the people, irrespective of their religion, caste or creed.

The court stated, “Merely because one religious group is dominating in a particular locality, it cannot be a ground to prohibit from celebrating religious festivals or taking processions of other religious groups through the roads.”

The court underlined the principle of tolerance in a secular country like India, by saying, “If religious intolerance is going to be allowed, it is not good for a secular country. Intolerance in any form by any religious group has to be curtailed and prohibited.”

The Judges noted that, ” In this case, intolerance of a particular religious group is exhibited by objecting for the festivals which have been conducted for decades together and the procession through the streets and roads of the village are sought to be prohibited, stating that the area is dominated by Muslims and therefore, there cannot be any Hindu festival or procession through the locality.”

The court slammed the Muslim party respondents by saying, ” If the contention of the respondent (Muslim party) is to be accepted, then it would create a situation in which “minority people cannot conduct any festival or procession in most parts of India.”

The Bench cautioned that, “If resistance is being exhibited by one religious group and it is reciprocated by the other religious groups, there would be chaos, riots, religious fights, causing loss of lives and destruction of properties”.

It is pertinent to note here, that religious tolerance is observed in India only in areas where the Muslims or Christians are in minority. The Muslims insidiously increase their numbers by means of population explosion, love jihad, illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar etc and slowly become majority. As their strength in numbers grow, they impose a ban on all other religious activities other than practice of Islam, by calling it as “Sin”; they even economically squeeze out the Hindus and physically intimidate them, forcing the minority Hindus to flee from their forefathers’ land to some other safer place.

When the Muslims are in minority, they seek religious rights in the name of democracy and liberal secular values and once they overwhelm the others demographically, the same secular democratic constitution is thrown to the wind and only Shariat prevails.

It is encouraging to see Hindu community finally starting to assert their religious rights, by approaching the constitutional courts for protection and not give in to the intimidatory tactics of the Muslim community in Muslim majority areas.

It is also heartening that the Madras High Court has in this case, come to the aid of Hindus and ensured their fundamental right to worship and practice Hinduism in the face of adverse Muslim majoritarianism. It is hoped that the judiciary at all levels, even the SC, follows even handed religious tolerance as in this case and not a warped sense of secularism pandering to predatory minorityism as is the fashion among “woke” judges.

 

News input: New Indian Express

Image sourced from internet.

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