The Madras High Court has issued an interim stay restraining the construction of a church near a Mariamman temple in Coimbatore district.
A division bench comprising Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan observed that, despite opposition from the Hindu majority in the area, the proposal to build a large church close to an existing temple raised concerns that could not be brushed aside.
The court noted that the plan appeared to be an act with an underlying intent, given the proximity of the proposed church to the Mariamman temple and the presence of only a few Christian families in the locality.
The bench also pointed to Coimbatore’s history of bomb blasts and violent communal clashes, describing the city as communally sensitive, and said such factors warranted judicial intervention at this stage.
