Tamil Nadu Female Priest Suhanjana Gopinath Takes Charge

Tamil Nadu female priest Suhanjana Gopinath takes charge at Dhenupureswar Temple in Chennai.

MK Stalin has become the second Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to appoint a female priest.

Suhanjana Gopinath, a 28-year-old woman, has made headlines after Chief Minister MK Stalin appointed her as a woman priest/odhuvar on August 14.

She is the second woman to become an Odhuvar. Odhuvar is a priest who sings hymns and is placed high in the hierarchy of priests.

On behalf of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, the CM issued appointment orders to 24 educated priests, totaling 208 people from all castes.

According to media reports, Suhanjana, who became an Odhuvar at the Dhenupuresvara temple in Madambakkam, Chennai.

She studied under Karur Saminathan, who emphasized that Suhanjana has conveyed the message of Thevaram and Thiruvasagam among the people.

For more than 13 years, trained priests are waiting for government jobs.

Suhanjana told the leading news agency, ‘I studied under Karur Saminathan for 3 years. I want to carry forward the message of Thevaram and Thiruvasagam.

Reports quoted Suhanjana Gopinath as saying that her husband and in-laws have been supporting her decision. The educated female priest is also eager to take her child to the temple.

So the family is contemplating shifting their house near the temple. The first woman Odhuvar was appointed in 2007 during the tenure of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Central Bureau of Investigation should be more independent like Election Commission of India – Madras High Court

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday stressed making the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) independent.

The bench said in its decision, ‘The CBI should be independent like the Election Commission of India.’

Hearing the petition, a bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi said, “There is this deep trust and confidence of the people in the CBI.

Whenever there is a sensitive, heinous crime and the local police do not conduct a proper investigation, there is a demand for a CBI inquiry.

The petition filed in the court regarding the alleged financial fraud of Rs 300 crore was heard seeking a CBI inquiry.