Priests of all castes appointed to state temples

14 Aug 2021 · Chennai

The government appointed trained archakas from many castes, including non-Brahmins, to temples under the HR and CE department.

In 2006 the Karunanidhi government had ordered that qualified persons of any caste could be appointed as temple priests, and trained candidates in state-run schools, but the move was held up by litigation. In 2015 the Supreme Court held that appointments must follow the Agamas while upholding the principle against caste discrimination. On 14 August 2021 Chief Minister M. K. Stalin handed appointment orders to 58 trained persons, including many non-Brahmins, as archakas and other temple staff. The appointments were again challenged in court by some groups.

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