Kerala sees red as Marxists try to control temples

KOCHI, January 10: The Marxists' sudden moves to tighten their control over Hindu temples and religious institutions has taken religious and...

KOCHI, January 10: The Marxists’ sudden moves to tighten their control over Hindu temples and religious institutions has taken religious and cultural circles in Kerala by storm.

The Kerala Hindu Religious and Charitable Institutions and Endowments Bill, 1997, piloted by the CPM-led Kerala Government, has alarmed Hindu organisations, religious institutions and minorities. State Law Minister E Chandrasekharan Nair’s assurance that the Bill would be enacted only after discussions and without hurting sentiments has cut no ice.

Calling it a "black bill", advocate Govind Bharathan alleged that it violated Articles 14 (equality of opportunity), 25 (right to profess, practice and propagate religion) and 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs). It is a clever move to divest Hindus of their freedom to carry on religious activities, even as the places of worship of other communities are left untouched, he added.

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Justice K Sukumaran, former judge of the Kerala High Court, described it as a time-bomb. Justice T Chandrasekhara Menon, also a former judge of the Kerala High Court, said the Bill was absolutely unconstitutional and legally invalid and that it would destroy the secular character of the Constitution.

However, the Government claimed that the Bill was introduced to comply with a Kerala High Court directive.