URAVINMURAI INSTITUTIONS LEGAL STRUGGLE FOR OBTAINING RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION STATUS

The Hindu Nadars of Vilampatti are having an Uravinmurai under the name Vilampatti Nadar Uravinmurai established in the year 1895. The Uravinmurayars are running a 'Higher Secondary School', under the name A.V.M. Marimuthu Nadar Higher Secondary School and an elementary school under the name Nadar George Primary School which was established in the year 1918. For running the said educational institutions the Uravinmurayars have formed a separate school committee and registered the same under the Societies Registration Act. The object of the Uravinmurai which is the educational agency established and administering the school for the benefits of the Hindu Nadar Community, and is assisting financially to run the schools, to help the poor and needy students and also to administer Kaliamman and Karuppasamy Koil at Vilampatti Village. The Uravinmurai consists of only Hindu Nadars of Vilampati and the Hindu Nadars of the Vilampatti alone are entitled to become members of the School committe and they are alone eligible to hold membership. They are owning two temples namely Kaliamman Temple and Karuppasamy temple. The temple are denominational temples exclusively belonging to the Hindu Nadars of Vilampatti. They have important festivals of their own other than those of the majority Hindus, namely Adi Pongal and Panguni Pongal. They only worship Kaliamman and Karuppasami as a form of Devil Gods. The Hindu Nadars of Vilampatti have separate cremation grounds, Nandavanam and wells for drinking water. They have separate barber and dhobi exclusively for them Years back Hindu Nadars of Vilampatti were treated as untouchables by other caste Hindus and, therefore, they established their own temples, educational institutions, their own "wells for drinking water, burial grounds and other facilities. The Vilampatti Hindu Nadars Uravinmurai had established educational institutions and financed the same.

The priest employed in Vilampatti Kaliamman temple and Karuppasami temple.belong to the Nadar community and the two temples are maintained by the Nadar community. However the priest belongs to a different caste, generally a Pandaram.

The barber, a Kudimahan is employed exclusively for the Hindu Nadars of Vilampatti Village and if any member of Vilampatti Hindu Nadar community died, double sangu would be sounded in order to

communicate the death of the member of that community. His further evidence is that there is a separate graveyard and Nandavanam for the Hindu Nadar community of Vilampatti. Dhobi, A Ekalimahan is the dhobi exclusively for the Hindu Nadar community of Vilampatti.

Thalavaipuram Nadar's P.M. Marimuthu Nadar Higher Secondary Managing Board, rep. by its Secretary, Thalavaipuram P.M.M. Ammayappa Nadar Girls' Higher Secondary School, rep. by its Secretary and Managing Board member Thalavaipuram Nadar's P.M.M. Ammayappa Nadar Elementary School rep. by its Secretary and Managing Board Member have jointly instituted the suit O.S.No.9 of 1991, on the file of the District Munsif, Srivilliputhur, for declaration that all the three Schools are minority educational institutions and for permanent injunction forbearing the defendants from enforcing the provisions of Tamil Nadu Recognised Private Schools (Regulation) Act, 1973. The plaintiffs, who are successful before the trial Court. As against the decree granted by the trial Court on 23.3.92, the The first appellate court held that the status of plaintiffs' institutions are not minority and not denominational.