The Madras High Court has upheld an administrative order permitting the reconstruction of a Christian prayer hall situated approximately 45 metres from a Hindu temple in Sivagangai district, ruling that the constitutional guarantee of peaceful coexistence cannot be curtailed on unverified apprehensions of unrest.
Dismissing a petition moved by a district executive committee member of the Hindu Munnani, a division bench comprising Justice M. Dhandapani and Justice N. Dilip Kumar affirmed the Sivagangai District Collector’s decision allowing the reconstruction of the prayer hall in Dhayapuram village. The court held that speculative concerns regarding potential law-and-order disruptions do not justify interference with an administrative decision that was grounded in field assessments.
Court Findings And Observations
In its order dated August 25, the bench noted that the District Collector approved the project after evaluating relevant records and reviewing an official inspection report. The judges pointed out that the administrative inquiry found no active disputes or objections among local residents regarding the facility.
The court observed that the petitioner was not a resident of Dhayapuram and had failed to produce evidence showing any statutory breach, procedural defect, arbitrariness, or violation of previous court directives by the district administration. Under these circumstances, the bench stated that it found no reason to set aside the collector’s permission.
Background Of The Litigation
The dispute dates back to 2021, when the petitioner first approached the High Court claiming that the church building was being reconstructed without the mandatory prior clearance from the Sivagangai District Collector. In response to that plea, the High Court in April 2021 ordered local authorities to lock and seal the premises, while granting the church authorities liberty to apply to the District Collector for the necessary permissions.
Following the District Collector’s subsequent approval, the petitioner filed a fresh plea seeking to quash the order, contending that operating a Christian prayer hall in such close proximity to a Hindu temple would create communal tension.
Local Feedback And Structural Assessment
During the proceedings, the respondents submitted that a prayer hall had functioned on the premises for nearly 25 years and that the ongoing work was solely to rebuild an old structure that had deteriorated over time.
An administrative field survey confirmed that the prayer hall and the temple stand roughly 45 metres apart. The inspection also established that village residents confirmed religious services had been held at the site for about 25 years and expressed no objection to the continuing presence and reconstruction of the prayer hall.
