Kallandhri Ainthu Kovil Muthalamman Temple Festival Committee vs The State Of Tamil Nadu & Ors.

Heard both sides.

Mr. D. Rajaboopathy, learned Government Advocate (Criminal Side) takes notice for the respondents.

This Writ Petition has been filed directing the respondents to implement the permission order granted by the 3^rd respondent in her proceedings dated 10.09.2026 and consequently, direct the 3^rd respondent to provide adequate bandobast for the Rekla Race, scheduled to be held on 19.09.2026, on the occasion of Kallandhri Ainthu Kovil Muthalamman Temple.

The petitioner is a committee consisting of four persons, who proposed to conduct a Rekla Race in their village Anaiyur and submitted a representation to the 3^rd respondent seeking permission and police bandobast for conducting Rekla Race. The 3^rd respondent after considering the representation made by the petitioner granted permission on 10.09.2026. However, the said permission granted does not mention anything about the bandobast duty provided for the Rekla Race event.

Mr. K. Mahendran, learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that though the 3^rd respondent had granted permission as early as on 10.09.2026 and the festival committee members are taking steps to make arrangements for organising the Rekla Race event, the 3^rd respondent police came to the petitioner's village and informed the committee members that Rekla Race should not be conducted. Therefore, the petitioner filed this writ petition seeking implemention of the permission order granted by the 3^rd respondent.

When the matter was taken up for consideration, the 3^rd respondent, namely, Mrs. Shanthi, the Inspector of Police, Appanthiruppathi Police Station, Madurai District, is present before this Court. On going through the facts stated in the affidavit of the petitioner, this Court enquired the said Inspector of Police. She submitted that though permission had been granted on 10.09.2026 and later she was confused that there is a Government Order (GO) or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or other order that the permission may be granted only by the District Collector not by the Inspector of Police. Therefore, she instructed the petitioner committee members through her constable not to conduct the Rekla Race. She further submitted that she visited the petitioner's village and requested the festival committee members to stop the Rekla Race during the festival.

The learned Additional Government Pleader of this Court after knowing the proceedings that had been taken place during the course of the submission cited two Division Bench decisions of this Court in WP.(MD).No.2132 of 2024 batch, [Muruga Ganesan Vs. District Collector, Theni District & Ors.], dated 16.02.2024 and in WP.(MD).No.18213 of 2026, [Chandrabalan Vs. The District Collector, Thanjavur & Ors.] dated 30.06.2026. In both the decisions of the Division Bench referred to the earlier judgement of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and other judgements of this Court and imposed certain conditions and NOCs to be obtained from various departments and after execution of the necessary bond by the organizing committee of the Rekla Race. In addition to that there is another Division Bench judgement in WP.(MD).No.29471 of 2023 dated 21.12.2023, [Sujil Antony Vs. District Collector, Thanjavur and others].

Though the aforesaid judgements contain certain directions to be followed for conducting Rekla Race, there is no specific direction stipulating that permission for conducting the Rekla Race should be granted by the District Collector. Likewise there is no specific direction that the Inspector of Police should not grant permission to conduct the Rekla Race. On reading the first two judgements placed before this Court, this Court is of the firm opinion that the police authorities may have power to grant such permission to conduct the Rekla Race, subject to producing the NOCs from Animal Husbandry Department, Highways Department and Veterinary Department etc., Here in this case no such NOCs were produced by the petitioner, which is admitted by the learned counsel for the petitioner. Then he submitted that he is ready to produce the NOCs from those departments referred in the judgements cited above.

The 3^rd respondent may also determine the amount of the bond to be executed by the committee members. During the course of submission, learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the exact number of bullock carts that would participate in the Rekla Race would be known only during the event on 19.09.2026. If it is so, as per the submission of the petitioner's counsel the petitioner shall execute a bond on the date of 19.09.2026 for a sum of rupees [Rs.5,000/-] five thousand for each bullock cart by all the four festival committee members and the same is to be accepted by the 3^rd respondent.

The 3^rd respondent is directed to provide police protection for the Rekla Race event scheduled to be conducted on 19.09.2026, subject to payment of cost as per the circular of the Director General of Police prevailing in the Police Department for providing police bandobast duty.

With the above direction, this Writ Petition is disposed of.