The court confirmed that local customs do not support excommunication for inter-village marriages, ensuring participation in temple festivals is unrestricted.

Headnote:
Excommunication - Temples - Not applicable under local customs - No restrictions on participation in festivals as per local norms.
Fact of the Case:

The petitioner alleged that the local respondents refused to accept the 'Thalaikattu Vari' due to the petitioner’s son's marriage outside their village, claiming it led to excommunication.
Issues: Whether the petitioner faced valid excommunication or restrictions from participating in temple festivals due to a family member's marriage to an outsider.
Ratio Decidendi: The court emphasized local customs and determined that such practices of excommunication did not exist, thus ruling in favor of the respondents.
Final Decision: Writ Petition disposed of, no costs.

O R D E R

[Order of the Court was made by The Hon'ble CHIEF JUSTICE] The learned Counsel for the petitioner submits that the respondents 6 to 9 refused to accept the 'Thalaikattu Vari' from the petitioner only on the ground that the son of the petitioner married a person from other village and all the persons from the village who get married to a person from other village are excommunicated.

2.The learned Counsel for respondents 6 to 9 refused the said allegation and submits that the petitioner or none of the persons who marry the person from other village are excommunicated and they are also not prohibited from participating in the temple festival and there is no restriction upon them on the ground that the son of the petitioner has married a person from the other village. The allegations about the excommunication is totally false.

3.As the statement is made that there are no restrictions on the petitioner to participate in the temple festival and that there is no concept of excommunication in the village nor there can be such a practice of excommunication only because the marriage has been conducted with a person of some other village, no further orders are necessary to be passed.

4.In case the petitioner comes across an incident of not being allowed to participate in the temple festival and any such discrimination, then the petitioner at the relevant time can agitate with the concerned authority which the authority shall look into it.

5.Accordingly, the Writ Petition is disposed of. No costs.

Consequently, the connected miscellaneous petition is closed.

[S.V.G., C.J.]

[P.D.B., J.]

29.02.2024 Index : Yes / No Neutral Citation : Yes / No MR To

1.The District Collector, Karur District, Karur.

2.The Revenue Divisional Officer, Karur District, Karur.

3.The Tahsildar, Karur Taluk, Karur.

4.The Superintendent of Police, Karur District, Karur.

5.The Inspector of Police, Pasupathipalayam Police Station, Karur District.

THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE and P.DHANABAL , J.

MR W.P.(MD)No.25326 of 2018