Madras high court says bad intention can't be ruled out if church comes up close to temple, stays construction in Coimbatore
CHENNAI: Holding that mala fide intention cannot be ruled out if a church is proposed to be constructed in the vicinity of a Hindu temple, Madras high court stayed the construction of a church in Coimbatore.
“Coimbatore is a communally sensitive city. It witnessed bomb blasts and bloody religious riots. The proposed church would come up within a stone’s throw from the existing Mariyamman Temple. There are only a handful of Christian families. If a large church is proposed to be constructed in the vicinity of the Mariyamman Temple, mala fide intentions cannot be ruled out,” a division bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan said recently.
The court said it would also take on record the submission of the petitioner that “following change of govt headed by chief minister C Joseph Vijay posters have appeared in some parts of Tamil Nadu calling for construction of churches in every village.”
The interim order was passed recently on a plea moved by N Balasubramaniyam opposing the construction of a church at Kalapatti in Coimbatore.
“Coimbatore is a communally sensitive city. It witnessed bomb blasts and bloody religious riots. The proposed church would come up within a stone’s throw from the existing Mariyamman Temple. There are only a handful of Christian families. If a large church is proposed to be constructed in the vicinity of the Mariyamman Temple, mala fide intentions cannot be ruled out,” a division bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan said recently.
The court said it would also take on record the submission of the petitioner that “following change of govt headed by chief minister C Joseph Vijay posters have appeared in some parts of Tamil Nadu calling for construction of churches in every village.”
The interim order was passed recently on a plea moved by N Balasubramaniyam opposing the construction of a church at Kalapatti in Coimbatore.
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