Dress code; Hindu outfit seeks to implead itself in appeal

A Hindu outfit today sought to implead itself in the appeal against a Madras High Court judge's order imposing a dress code for devotees to temples, saying any deviation from it would 'distract' the faithful.
Petitioner S Muthukumar, President of Pandava Sena, said the dress code is essential "for maintaining the dignity and pride of the places of worship, including temples."
Claiming that dress codes for churches, mosques and temples have existed from time immemorial, he submitted that dresses like skirts, bermudas and sleevelesstops would 'distract' pilgrims, which was not proper to maintain the atmosphere of temples.
Asking women to wear a certain dress in temples was not an infringement of rights, he said and pointed out that dress codes were followed even in armies and courts.

Hence the order of the single judge imposing certain dress code was essential, he said.
There was no problems for foreigners or North Indians to get the dress code material in temples, he said.

Yesterday, the Madras High Court had stayed the order of the single judge on a batch of petitions challenging it on the ground that it was "discriminatory".
The order was stayed on an appeal by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the case was posted to January 18 for further hearing.
The department had submitted that maintenance of order and decorum in a particular temple was within the powers of the temple administration and dress code differed from temple to temple, based on such custom and practise prevailing there.

There was no direction to follow uniform dress code in all temples. Also, such an order would have far-reaching consequences and involved public policy and depends on factors like sentiments of people,customs and practises, it said.
Two other petitioners, including Sarika of Southern Districts Women's Federation, claimed the code was against an individual's right to wear a dress of his/her choice and was "highly discriminatory" and the restrictions are against the fundamental rights, particularly of women and children.
Disposing of a petition seeking permission for cultural programmes in view of a temple festival in Tiruchirapalli district, Justice S Vaidyanathan had on November 26 ordered that from January 1, men should wear 'dhoti or pyjama with upper cloth or formal pants and shirts and women 'sari or half sari with blouse or churidhar with upper cloth' to temples.

The judge had also ordered that children could go in 'any fully-covered dress.