Thread by @kbalakumar

As Vinayagar Chathurthi fills the streets with Pillayar idols, one's mind drifts to Trichy, 1953, when EVR & his minions smashed Ganesha idols in public. A moment of bigotry that could’ve spiralled unchecked, if not for one unheralded man: S Veerabadran Chettiar.🧵(Pic: Internet)

A 'devout Shaivite', Veerabadran took EVR's bigotry to court. Not once. Not twice. But four times, all the way to the Supreme Court. Despite personal threats, technical dismissals & pressure to withdraw, Veerabadran stood firm. His fight wasn’t just legal. It was civilizational.

Lower courts could dismiss his case only on technical grounds: "The idol wasn’t consecrated." "No government sanction." "It was EVR’s personal property." Each verdict failed to deal with the larger immoral act. Lesser men would have given up. But Veerabadran, he didn’t flinch.

At the Supreme Court, justice finally happened. In 1957, a Bench (headed by Justice BP Sinha) ruled EVR’s act was wrong, but let him off as the case had become 'stale.' (Irony: the delay was due to judicial hurdles.)

Anyway, it was Veerabadran’s persistence that forced the system to reckon. The case is now a landmark one and its verdict quoted regularly. (Just google EVR vs S Veerabadran Chettiar).

The case made the courts confront the tension between free expression & faith. It set a precedent that public insult to personal belief isn’t protected theatre. That smashing idols isn’t social reform. It’s vile provocation.

The case also affirmed that the State must respect the feelings and religious emotions of its citizens, even if the judiciary doesn't share those beliefs or consider them 'rational.'

Today, Pillayar smiles from every street corner. Believers had told EVR gang in 1953: "Break as many idols as you want, more will rise, more temples will be built." That prophecy stands fulfilled. Thanks to Veerabadran, the idol-breakers didn’t win. The temples multiplied.

Yet, history has no photo of Veerabadran. No biography. No statue. He is just a footnote in dusty court records. But make no mistake, his legacy lives in every Vinayagar idol that stands tall, unbroken and unbowed.

As Tamil Nadu celebrates Pillayar Chathurthi tomorrow, let’s also remember the man who defended Him, not with slogans, but with law, courage & conviction.

S Veerabadran Chettiar, the forgotten sentinel of faith.