HC stays tehsildar's order against pastor's prayer meetings

The Madras High Court today granted a conditional stay on a tehsildar's order restraining a pastor from conducting prayer meetings at his residential premises in Coimbatore district.

Justice K Ravichandrabaabu granted the interim stay for four weeks on a petition by pastor Selvasingh Samuel on the condition that under the guise of conducting prayers the petitioner shall not cause any nuisance to the public by way of noise pollution.

In his petition, Samuel of Sultanpet in Sulur Taluk sought to quash a September 28 notice issued by the tehsildar of Sandaipettai directing him to stop conducting prayer meetings without permission from the district administration.
 

"The court is of the prima facie view that the petitioner is entitled for an interim relief of stay for a period of four weeks," the Judge said in his order.

The petitioner submitted that he was a full-time pastor engaged in preaching the Gospel and praying for the sick since 2002. He had been conducting prayers at his residence itself.

In 2006, he formed a trust and registered it in the name of "Zion Prayer Fellowship" with him and his wife as founding trustees.

As more people started attending his prayer meetings, he started constructing a 1,914 square feet hall in residential premises after obtaining permission from Vaarapatti village panchayat in September last year.

The hall, being built with voluntary contributions, was nearing completion when the tehsildar issued the notice, stating that prayer meetings were being conducted in the premises by the petitioner without prior permission from the district administration.

The notice said he should conduct such meetings only after obtaining permission.

When the matter came up for hearing, senior counsel P Wilson, who appeared for the pastor, cited a Madurai Bench of Madras High Court order issued in 2006 and argued that no permission was required to practice Christianity or to conduct prayers.

He further contended that conducting prayers do not require any permission from any administration.

Granting the interim stay, the judge issued notice to the district collector and other authorities under him and posted the petition for hearing after four weeks.