Supreme Court appoints retired judge S.K. Kaul to mediate Vadakalai -Thenkalai dispute at Kancheepuram temple

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday (January 28, 2026), asked former apex court judge, Justice (retd.) Sanjay Kishan Kaul, to mediate a dispute between the Thenkalai and Vadakalai Vaishnavite sects over the recitation of mantram and prabandham during ceremonial worship at Devarajaswamy Temple in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu.

Noting that all the equal are humble before God, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said both sects must try hard to reach an amicable resolution with the aid of the retired judge. The court said Justice Kaul could take the assistance of two persons well-versed with the religious, cultural and linguistic history of Tamil Nadu to aid him in the endeavour.

“Tamil Nadu is a State where our heritage is well-maintained. Tamil Nadu is the showcase of Indian culture,” Chief Justice Kant remarked.

The order came in a petition filed by a Kancheepuram resident, S. Narayanan, represented by advocate G. Balaji, challenging a November 28, 2025 Madras High Court judgment restricting the Vadakalai sect from reciting two prayers - Ramanuja Dayapatram (verses in praise of their spiritual guru Sri Vedanta Desika) before the 4,000 Divya Prabandhams; and Vaazhi Thirunaamam at the end of the 4,000 Divya Prabandhams.

The petition argued that the High Court had recognised Vadakalais as a denomination, but curtailed their rights by invoking Article 25 (right to religious freedom and conscience) to favour Thenkalais. “This is incorrect. Article 26 (right to manage the religious affairs for every religious denomination or its section) take precedence over Article 25 rights,” the petition argued.

The case saw a battery of senior advocates including C.S. Vaidyanathan, Arvind Datar, C.A. Sundaram, Guru Krishnakumar and advocate Rohini Musa appearing for the various parties.

The petition argued that though the High Court had held that both Vadakalais and Thenkalais were sub-sects of the Sri Vaishnava denomination, prohibiting Vadakalais from reciting their mantras amounted to an unequal treatment in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.

“The High Court found that Thenkalais must recite Srisailesa Dayapatram before reciting Prabandham and recognised the Vadakalais’ right to participate. Yet, it prohibits Vadakalais from reciting Ramanuja Dayapatram. This unjustly restrains their essential religious practices,” the petition argued.

It further submitted that the Madras High Court wrongly upheld the Executive Trustee’s order, and thus empowered a secular authority to interfere in the religious affairs of a denominational temple.

“This violates Section 107 of the Hindu Religious and Cultural Endowments Act. It also violates Section 45, which limits State officers’ role to administrative control over the property of religious institutions only. The temple is Vadakalai in character. A shrine dedicated to Sri Vedanta Desikar is located within the temple. Prohibiting hymns in his praise violates the Vadakalais’ fundamental rights,” the petition submitted.

The Bench scheduled the next hearing in the month of March.