Madras High Court Stays Church Construction Near Temple in Coimbatore
The Madras High Court has issued an interim order staying the construction of a church in close proximity to the Mariyamman Temple in Coimbatore. The court observed that mala fide intentions could not be ruled out given the city's history of communal violence.
A division bench comprising Justices G R Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan remarked, "Coimbatore is a communally sensitive city. It witnessed bomb blasts and bloody religious riots. The proposed church would come up within a stone's throw from the existing Mariyamman Temple. There are only a handful of Christian families. If a large church is proposed to be constructed in the vicinity of the Mariyamman Temple, mala fide intentions cannot be ruled out."
The court also took note of the petitioner's submission that after the formation of a new government led by C Joseph Vijay, "posters have appeared in some parts of Tamil Nadu calling for construction of churches in every village."
The interim order was passed on a plea by N Balasubramaniyam opposing the construction of a church at Kalapatty in Coimbatore. The petitioner raised concerns about the possibility of the new building being used for conversion activities. The judges stated, "We are a secular nation. We are a pluralist society. Religious amity has to be preserved. If a religious right is established, then it is the duty of the state to aid in its enforcement."
The court noted that the situation would have been different if the construction was on patta land with undisputed title, no other religious structure nearby, or no opposition. However, in this case, revenue records indicated the site was a public road, the location was too close to an old temple, and there was vigorous resistance.
Additionally, the court placed on record the petitioner's submission that Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar quoted Bible verses in his inaugural address to the legislative assembly.
