SC stays TN ordinance on priests

New Delhi, India - The Supreme Court has put a stay on an ordinance passed by the Tamil Nadu government in July, which stated that anybody who was a Hindu could become a priest in Tamil Nadu's temples.

The stay means non-Brahmins will have to wait a while before they can apply for the job of a priest.

Brahmin priests leading Puja at Hindu temples have been the practice for centuries in Tamil Nadu.

"TN ordinance amounts to interfering in religious freedom. The custom has been followed for over two thousand years," counsel for the petitioner RC Swamy said.

"All Brahmins cannot do pujas, only Sivacharyars a section of Brahmin can do puja. Even the Sankaracharya is not allowed," he pointed out.

Brahmin hold

The decision to break the grip of Brahmins over temples was among the first decisions announced by the DMK government of Chief Minister Karunanidhi.

"We want to bring justice to all sections of people one class alone cannot be considered privileged," DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said.

The Supreme Court will also examine whether the TN ordinance violates the Hindu religious customs, practices and rituals, and interferes with the religious freedom.

The Tamil Nadu government will have to respond to the court on these issues within six weeks.