Obscene performances shouldn’t be allowed in temple festivals: DGP

CHENNAI: Women performers should be treated with dignity during temple festivals, said Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu in guidelines for the permitting cultural programmes for temple festivals in State.

In a statement released to media on Thursday, the DGP said the guidelines should be followed by all the police commissioners and district superintendents adhering to recent Madras High Court’s guidelines. As per the guideline, the decision for the permission for cultural programmes should be conveyed within seven days to the temple festival committees. If no decision has been conveyed within seven days, the committee can conduct the cultural event on the eighth day, the statement said.

Hearing multiple petitions seeking permission for cultural programmes during temple festival, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had recently said law enforcers have to either permit or prohibit the cultural program within the stipulated time and if they failed to do so it will be considered a deemed permission.

He further said the temple committee should assure the programmes does not have any obscene performances and added that women performers must be treated with dignity. Likewise, the cultural program should not be conducted after 10 pm.

No deity songs or songs with double meanings should be used in these cultural programmes, the guidelines said. The venue and its surroundings should be free from alcohol or any other drugs.

The guidelines said the if the condition are violated, organisers will have to face legal action.