Now Reading: Guruvayur Devaswom to rename Kodathi Vilakku after court order
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Guruvayur Devaswom to rename Kodathi Vilakku after court order
The Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee will meet shortly to consider renaming ‘Kodathi Vilakku’, a ceremonial lamp-lighting at the Guruvayur temple, following a Kerala High Court directive. The court’s Devaswom Bench observed that…
The Story in Brief
The Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee will meet shortly to consider renaming ‘Kodathi Vilakku’, a ceremonial lamp-lighting at the Guruvayur temple, following a Kerala High Court directive. The court’s Devaswom Bench observed that the name, which refers to the court (kodathi), could create the impression of judicial association with a religious event. The court suggested a neutral name to maintain institutional impartiality under the Constitution.
The directive came on a petition from a Gurubaba Ashram administrator, who also sought bans on ‘Police Vilakku’, ‘Postal Vilakku’, and bank-named lamps. The single bench in 2022 had already advised judicial officers to avoid organising the event. Devaswom chairman A.V. Gopinath stated that the name would be decided in consultation with the festival committee, and if no agreement is reached, the matter will go back to the court.
The Indian Opinion
The court is not banning a tradition but asking for a name that does not suggest judicial endorsement. Some will paint this as state overreach into temple affairs, but the High Court is merely enforcing constitutional neutrality, a principle that cuts both ways. The real test is whether the organising committee, dominated by lawyers, will accept a secular name or force further litigation. The Devaswom chairperson has left the door open: if the committee refuses, the court will have the final word.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
