Throwing Chappals At Devotees Desecration Of Secular Fraternity: Madras High Court Orders Police Security For Lord Kallazhagar Procession

The petitioners approached the High Court seeking a direction to the respondents to take action on their representation seeking preventive actions against the miscreants throwing chappals on the devotees during Lord Kallazhagar's ceremonial procession, particularly during the revered ceremonial journey culminating in the deity’s entry into the Vaigai River.

The Single Bench of Justice L. Victoria Gowri held,“Throwing chappals at devotees in the midst of a divine procession is not merely an act of disorder; it is an affront to faith, an assault upon customary religious practice, and a desecration of the secular fraternity that forms part of the constitutional ethos.”

“The second respondent shall forthwith deploy 15 to 20 striking force vehicles along the 7.6 kilometre city route of the procession”, it ordered.

Advocate R.J.Karthick represented the Petitioner, while Government Advocate C.Satheesh represented the Respondent.

Observations

The Bench took note of the seriousness of such acts as isolated disturbances striking at the heart of constitutional freedoms protected under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India, which guarantee to every citizen the freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion, and equally protect religious customs and observances from unlawful interference.

“This Court is constrained to observe that throwing chappals upon devotees in a religious procession amounts to a grave affront to public decency, religious harmony and social fraternity and must be dealt with, to borrow a phrase apt to the occasion, with an iron hand. Miscreants attempting to mar a sacred event cannot claim indulgence under the guise of ordinary disorderly conduct. Preservation of a centuries-old civilizational festival is itself a constitutional value”, it stated.

Highlighting how the Chithirai Festival is not merely a temple event but a civilizational continuum, a living embodiment of Tamil heritage, rooted in Sangam culture and nourished through centuries, the Bench stated that any act intended to insult or disrupt such a sacred observance has implications transcending ordinary breach of peace.

“The acts complained of cannot be trivialised as stray hooliganism. Throwing chappals upon devotees participating in a divine procession carries symbolic insult. It seeks to pollute sanctity through calculated indignity. Such acts offend not merely public order but constitutional morality”, the order read.

Directions

The Bench concluded the matter by ordering the Commissioner of Police to deploy 15 to 20 striking force vehicles along the city route of the procession. “At least 10 striking force vehicles shall be stationed in the Vaigai riverbed area”, the Bench stated while also directing, “Police personnel stationed in watchtowers shall remain on highest alert and continuously monitor all vulnerable spots with drone surveillance.”

The Bench ordered that any person found indulging in throwing chappals or any similar disruptive act against the procession or devotees should immediately be apprehended on the spot and proceeded against in accordance with law, and appropriate remand proceedings should be initiated against him.

The Bench disposed of the petition by further clarifying, “This Court makes it clear that any attempt to desecrate or disrupt the sanctity of the procession shall be dealt with sternly and without hesitation.”

Cause Title: P.Sundaravadivel v. The District Collector (Neutral Citation: W.P.Crl.(MD)No.2470 of 2026)

Appearance

Petitioner: Advocate R.J.Karthick

Respondent: Government Advocates C. Satheesh, S. Manohar, Standing Counsel S.S. Manoj

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