Court stays idol replacing ceremony of Madkai’s Navdurga
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 20 February 2016 15:38 IST
Villagers of Madkai have temporarily won the battle against the temple committee of Devi Navdurga at Madkai with the district court staying the controversial ceremony of replacing the idol.
The district court II of Ponda today ordered to maintain status quo till final order is passed in this regard.
Challenging the ceremony scheduled from 22 February to 3 March, Shree Devi Navdurga Pratishthan has approached the court of law.
The next hearing has been now fixed on 5 March.
The protesting villagers have approached the court to seek public ownership of the Navdurga temple, which Mahajans are opposed to.
The basic argument in the case is that the deity of Shree Navdurga belongs to all the villagers and not the Mahajans alone.
The temple committee has given in writing to the Ponda Mamlatdar, who is also the administrator of the temple, that the temple is a private property, as per the Mahajani Act.
Adv Amrut Kansar, on behalf of the protesting villagers, had also sought a temporary injunction on holding the ceremony of changing the idol of Shree Devi Navdurga.
The villagers are presently up in arms, opposing the temple committee’s decision to change the idol, which is in deteriorated condition.
While the case in this regard was filed on 17 February, the court sent notices to the temple committee as well as the respective government authorities, including Chief Secretary of Goa and Ponda Mamlatdar, besides the revenue secretary.
Adv M S Usgaonkar, counsel of the temple committee, filed a reply regarding the injunction but sought time to file a reply to the original case regarding ownership of the temple.
Judge Irshad Aga also said he would require time to study the matter and fixed the next hearing on 5 March.
Till then, he ordered to maintain the status quo, thus staying the programme of changing the idol with a 10-day long ceremony.
I fail to understand how courts can interfere in a religious private temple matter The temple belongs to the Mahajans
Similar to SC asking Sabarimala authorities about allowing women in the trmle premises