The statue of Sree Narayana Guru cannot be treated as a deity, the court observed.
The Kerala High Court has observed that the state's legendary social reformer Sree Narayana Guru is not an avatar of God and a 'Gurumandiram' housing his statue cannot be treated as a temple.
A bench comprising Justices V Chitambaresh and K Harilal made the observation while hearing a property dispute between some people involving a 'Gurumandiram' in Alappuzha district.
"The statue of Sree Narayana Guru (who did not believe in idol worship) cannot be treated as a deity and his followers permitted to represent it. Sree Narayana Guru was a social reformer and not an avatar of God and the Gurumandiram housing his statue cannot be treated as a temple as is projected.
Of course, a citizen can legitimately believe that Sree Narayana Guru is an eternal God," the court observed in a recent judgement.