Muthuramalingam vs State of Tamil Nadu - 2026 Supreme(Online)(Mad) 41791

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2026 Supreme(Online)(Mad) 41791

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
R. Vijayakumar, J
Muthuramalingam – Appellant
Versus
State of Tamil Nadu – Respondent
Writ Petition

Important Points

An order rejecting permission for a temple cultural program based solely on vague apprehension of law and order issues, without concrete supporting material, is set aside as illegal.

Subject

Administrative Law - Writ Jurisdiction

Act Referred

Constitution of India: Art.226

Headnote

The petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India challenging an order rejecting permission to conduct a cultural program at a temple festival due to unsubstantiated apprehensions of law and order issues. The court examined the validity of the rejection order and the need for police protection for the proposed event. The court framed the issue as to whether the rejection of the cultural program, solely based on vague apprehensions, is legally sustainable. The court reasoned that in the absence of concrete material indicating an actual threat to law and order, a blanket rejection of such requests is untenable, as authorities must demonstrate substantial ground to restrict such public gatherings. The court allowed the writ petition, setting aside the impugned rejection order and directing the respondents to grant permission and protection, subject to specific conditions regarding the duration of the event and compliance with relevant official circulars.

Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: S. Bharathi
For the Respondents: R. Meenakshi Sundaram

Table of Content
1. rejection of permission based on mere apprehension without evidence is invalid. (Para 1 , 2)
2. court directs grant of permission with specific temporal and regulatory conditions. (Para 3)

ORDER

The present Writ Petition has been filed seeking to quash the order passed by the second respondent herein dated 18.05.2026, wherein, the request of the petitioner for conducting Adal Padal programme on 27.05.2026 has been rejected.

2. A perusal of the impugned order reveals that the rejection order has been passed on the apprehension that law and order problem is likely to arise, if Adal Padal programme is conducted. Since it is not based upon any concrete material, the order impugned in the Writ Petition is set aside.

3. In view of the abovesaid deliberations, the second respondent is directed to grant permission and police protection to Adal Padal programme to be conducted on 27.05.2026. It is made clear that the function shall be completed before 10.00 PM on the said date. The petitioner is directed to strictly comply with the Circular issued by the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu in Rc.007301/Genl.I(1)/2019 dated 09.04.2019.

4. With the above observations, this Writ Petition stands disposed of.

There shall be no order as to costs.