If 75 Years After Independence, We Can't Celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti & Temple Festival On Same Day, What Will People Think?: Madras High Court

K. Sivaprakasam had filed the Public Interest Litigation submitting that in the previous years, there have been clashes between upper caste Hindus and those belonging to the Scheduled Caste. He said that in 2021, there was a clash between the two groups when people from the Scheduled Caste community had organised an event to pay respect to the Ambedkar’s portrait at a local bus stand.

Similarly, the petitioner said the temple festival and birth anniversary celebrations in 2022 were to be held on the same day which prompted the Revenue Divisional Officer to impose prohibitory orders preventing public gathering of more than two people. 

The bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy said it is for the police to ensure that both the events happen on the same day and that the police is equipped to make the necessary arrangements.

"If even after 75 years of Independence, we cannot celebrate B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary simultaneously with a temple festival in a village, what will people think about our country?," said the court.

The court orally directed the local police authorities to make the necessary arrangements to make sure that both the events take place without any law and order problems.

Case Title: Sivaprakasam v. The District Collector and 5 othrs

Citation: 2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 116