'Palkhi' for non-Mahajans tomorrow, but Navdurga Mahajans hold their objection
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 01 March 2016 21:33 IST
While the hearing of the case of replacing the idol of Devi Navdurga of Madkai is yet to begin, the temple Mahajans have come up with a fresh application, prohibiting the non-Mahajans from performing in any religious ceremony of the temple.
In fact the temple committee also wanted the district court of Ponda to pass an interim order of injunction, prohibiting the non-Mahajans from holding the Palkhi of Nam (नम), tomorrow.
Shri Navdurga Pratishthan of non-Mahajans however won the battle as the Mahajans finally withdrew their prayer for interim injunction and agreed that they would be allowed to hold the Palkhi.
The Mahajans, represented by Adv M S Usgaonkar and Adv Subodh Kantak, had sought injunction prohibiting the non-Mahajan devotees from holding the Palkhi as well as from interfering in performing religious ceremonies related to the temple.
It is an exclusive right of the Mahajans, they argued.
Adv Amrut Kansar, on behalf of Shri Navdurga Pratishthan, however argued that the non-Mahajans are also devotees of Shri Devi Navdurga and should have equal rights to perform ceremonies and also hold the Palkhi.
He also submitted some instances where the non-Mahajans perform some ceremonies and also carry the Palkhi on some other occasions.
The issue of Saraswat Brahmin Mahajans and non-Saraswat devotees of the village also came up for brief discussion during the arguments, Adv Kansar told goanews.com.
After arguments and counter-arguments, both the parties initially agreed to divide the seven places of Palkhi ceremony inside and outside the temple, which Judge Irshad Aga agreed to.
However, Adv Usgaonkar changed his stand later, proposing that an order on the prayer for interim injunction be passed by the judge, said Adv Kansar.
While the judge said he would pass an elaborate order with the whole proceedings of the court, Adv Usgaonkar once again changed his stand and withdrew the prayer for interim injunction, by agreeing that non-Mahajans could hold the Palkhi tomorrow.
The Mahajan’s application of prohibiting non-Mahajans from interfering in performing religious ceremonies of the Devasthan would now be heard along with the case of replacing the idol as well as whether the temple is a private or public property.
