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Caste no bar to be Hindu priest
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To: ghen@netcom.com
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Subject: Caste no bar to be Hindu priest
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From: ashok <ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in>
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Date: Sat, 22 Jun 96 20:22:19 PDT
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Priority: Normal
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Resent-Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 11:48:26 -0700 (MST)
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Resent-From: Ajay Shah <ajay@mercury.aichem.arizona.edu>
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Resent-Message-Id: <Pine.ULT.3.90.960624114826.18207N@mercury.aichem.arizona.edu>
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Resent-To: ghen@netcom.com
Title : Caste on bar to be Hindu priest
Author : The Times of India News Service
Publication : Times of India
Date : June 22, 1996
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Dec. 7. The landmark ruling of
the
Kerala high court recently that a trained, priest
belonging to any caste was eligible to be appointed a
pries has been hailed by all the major Hindu
organisations In the state.
The full bench of the court had ruled that the
appointment of priests based on caste was
unconstitutional. The bench@h was considering a writ
petition referred to it by a division bench challenging
the appointment of S. Rajesh as priest of the Siva temple
in Kongarapilly.
Petitioner N. Adithyan had contended that no person
except a Kerala Brahmin had ever conducted a pooja In a
Siva temple. Mr Rajesh happens to be an Ezhava, an OBC,
but he, being a trained priest, was appointed by the
Travancore Devaswom Board.
The petitioner had argued that as per section 24 and
section 31 of the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious
Institution Act, the Dewaswom Board was duty-bound to
follow the Precedent In the Hindu community. Since no
non-Brahmin priest had ever conducted a pooja In a
temple, the appointment of Rajesh must be pronounced In-
valid.
The Hindu Alkma Vedi, a leading Hindu voluntary
organisation in Kerala, has termed the ruling,
"historic" which would go a long way towards the
demolition of the decaying caste system. The chairman of
the vedi, Swami Satyananda Saraswaty, said the judgment
which was not a day too soon hod the potential to
engender brotherhood among various Hindu castes and
help
regeneration of the community.
The swami said many pseudosadhus had defiled the
places
of worship and-brought a bad name to the Hindu community.
Some so-called ashrams even practised castism within
their premises.
Kummanom Rojasekharan, a prominent leader of the
Hindu
community, while welcoming the court ruling, said the
ruling would hasten the making of a modern Kerala. He
said the ruling was the most important event after the
Travancore royal declaration of temple entry in the
thirties which allowed all - irrespective of all castes
to go In and worship any temple In Travancore.
BJP leader P.P. Mukundan said his party welcomed the,
court orders. He said it was in fact an RSS pracharak,
P.Madliavan, who had set up the country's first "tantra
vidyalaya" on the bank of the Periyar 15 years ago.
Mr Rajesh happens to be a co-worker of Mr Madhavan The
vidyalaya trains youths for priesthood. It is a six-year
rigorous course open to all the castes of the Hindu
community.
A leader of the All-Kerala Brahmins Association who
preferred anonymity said he hailed the ruling but could
not speak on behalf of the association without,
consulting them.
This is clear example that the RSS is not a Brahmanical
organisation. In fact, it shows that the RSS and its
curious associates are working for Hindu unity in a
positive way.
