1 Thalachangadu Nannmadiya Perumal Temple – WP for removal of public toilet next to Temple kitchen @ReclaimTemples @Indumakalktchi #thalachangadu #publictoilet #Naanmadiyaperumal I have filed WP No.8476 of 2020 against the District Collector – Nagapattinam,
2 Chairperson – Sembanarkoil Panchayat Union and Assistant Commissioner, HR & CE Kumbakonam for removal of public toilet constructed next to the Temple Kitchen. The WP came up today before the Division Bench of Justices R Subbiah and Krishnan Ramasamy and the DB granted
3. 2 weeks’ time for the Government counsel to discuss the issue with the District administration and report the same to the court. There is a public toilet constructed by Sembanarkoil Panchayat Union in the property of the Temple for public use.
4 The public access to the toilet through the main entrance of the temple. Toilet is very close to the temple kitchen where food is prepared for the deities. Sight of public toilet next to the temple kitchen creates aversion on the minds of the devotees visiting the temple
5 and the devotees’ right to worship guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution is seriously infracted. It is pathetic that the local body did not at all consider the health hazard that the servants working in the temple kitchen would face and the likely spread
6 of infection to the food prepared for the deities, by reason of constructing a public toilet in close proximity to the kitchen. The close proximity hinders the free movement of smoke coming out of the kitchen and because of lack of adequate open space immediately outside
7 the kitchen, the smoke once again is forced to enter the kitchen and circulate in the kitchen itself. The temple staff working in the kitchen is exposed to smoke and flame continuously. Devotees eating the prasadam would get all kinds of diseases. The local body and the
8 district administration utterly failed to take into consideration the public health risks associated with the location of the public toilet. In addition to the health and constitutional issues, location of the toilet inside the temple property also jeopardizes the safety
9 and security of the temple and the idols therein. We are all aware that in 2009, all the idols in the temple were stolen and recovered by god’s grace from a tank in Madurantakam. In this back ground, permitting the public beyond the temple darshan timing to enter the main
10 gate to use the toilet is obviously a serious safety hazard. It seems that no lesson is learnt from the theft and recovery of idols in 2009. Nobody should be allowed to enter the temple premises beyond the darshan timings.
11 Such ingress and egress would amount to breach of safety and security of the temple and the idols therein. 
