Madras HC allows screening of Pran Pratishtha ceremony on private premises: Annamalai

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 22 (ANI): K Annamalai, Tamil Nadu BJP chief, claimed on Monday that the Madras High Court has ordered that there shall be no restrictions on telecasting Pran Pratishtha ceremony live on private premises in the state.

The BJP earlier filed urgent writ petitions both in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, alleging that the DMK government in the state banned arranging public viewings of the live telecast of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the premises of temples and other places.

“The Hon Madras High Court has ordered that there shall be no restrictions on telecasting the Pran Pratishtha live on private premises,” Annamalai said in a post on X.

He said that the Supreme Court had ordered that the fundamental rights of individuals could not be restricted by the Tamil Nadu government.

“The Supreme Court has ordered that, based on oral orders, the fundamental rights of individuals cannot be restricted by the State govt of TN. Devotees of Bhagwan Shri Ram are free to telecast the consecration event live on an LED screen within any private premises & to give intimation only to HR&CE-administered temples. There is no ban on conducting Bhajans, offering special pooja or Annadhana,” he said in the post.

Annamalai has also arrived at Gopalapuram Venugopala Swami Temple, Chennai, where he will watch the live telecast of the Ram Temple inauguration.

The BJP’s plea in the Supreme Court said: “It is respectfully submitted that State Government run by DMK political party has banned live telecast of the auspicious occasion of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram at Ayodhya in all the temples across the state of Tamil Nadu.”

Earlier on Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleged that the DMK government misused the police to deny the citizens the right to watch the live telecast of Pran Pratishtha.

“The Tamil Nadu Police is being misused by the Government of Tamil Nadu…They are being misused by Hindu-hating DMK…Can any citizen be denied the right to watch the Prime Minister? The DMK is showing its personal hatred for the Prime Minister,” Sitharaman said.

The BJP also alleged that Tamil Nadu Police on Monday removed the LED screens placed in a temple in the Kanchipuram district where Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was going to watch the live telecast of Ram Lalla’s Pran Prathistha ceremony.

“This is a private temple in #Kanchipuram where Indian Finance Minister Smt.@nsitharaman is going to watch Live #Ayodhya #RamMandir #PranaPratishta!” SG Suryah, State Secretary of the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP, posted on X.

“But right now Tamil Nadu Police has entered the premises & is removing the LED screens. What a joke this is CM Mr.@mkstalin ?” he added.