Madras HC: State Can't Act on Superstition, Orders Return of Seized Hindu Idols

• Madras High Court ordered the return of Hindu idols seized from A Karthik's private residence in north Chennai.
• Authorities had removed the idols after residents linked their worship to a series of "unnatural deaths" in the neighbourhood, citing superstition.
• Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy ruled that the State cannot act on unscientific public fears and must promote scientific temper.
• The Court emphasized that peaceful private worship cannot be curtailed by superstitious beliefs and that God or idols do not harm humans.
• Idols were ordered returned with conditions: no loudspeakers, noise pollution, disturbance to neighbours, or collection of money.

Why It Matters: Madras HC upholds private worship rights, rejects state action based on superstition over "unnatural deaths".