Kerala HC to hear PIL seeking ban on children’s ritualistic dance on Monday

Kochi, May 18 (IANS) The Kerala High Court will, on Monday, take up a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on children performing ‘Thee Chamundi Theyyam’, a customary dance that is prevalent in northern Malabar district of the state.

Theyyam is a traditional religious ritualistic practice in northern Kerala and the Thee Chamundi Theyyam is one of its forms.

Filed by an NGO Dhisha Foundation, the petition claims that this art form affects the well-being of children.

A division bench of the Court has already asked the petitioner to implead the Malabar Devasom Board and the trustees of the temple under which the dance performance is conducted.

The PIL submitted that the children selected to perform in said customary dance are from a backward community and are a relic of the feudal past.