On January 28, 2026, the Supreme Court appointed former judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to mediate a dispute between the Thenkalai and Vadakalai Vaishnavite sects. The conflict is over chanting mantram and prabandham during ceremonies at the Devarajaswamy Temple in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "All are equal and humble before God," urging both sects to find a fair solution. He added that Justice Kaul can get help from two experts familiar with Tamil Nadu's religious and cultural history. This order follows a petition by S. Narayanan, a Kancheepuram resident, challenging a Madras High Court ruling from November 28, 2025. The High Court had restricted the Vadakalai sect from reciting two prayers: Ramanuja Dayapatram and Vaazhi Thirunaamam during rituals. The petition argued that this limited Vadakalais' religious freedom. The petition claimed the High Court wrongly favored Thenkalais by citing Article 25 of the Constitution (right to religious freedom), ignoring that Article 26 (right to manage religious affairs) should prevail. It said both sects are part of the Sri Vaishnava denomination and forbidding Vadakalais from certain prayers is an unequal treatment violating Article 14 (equality before law). Senior advocates including C.S. Vaidyanathan and Arvind Datar appeared for the parties. The petition also said the Madras High Court wrongly upheld the Executive Trustee’s order, allowing government interference in temple religious affairs, violating the Hindu Religious and Cultural Endowments Act. The temple is mainly Vadakalai, and it houses a shrine dedicated to Sri Vedanta Desikar. Stopping hymns praising him infringes on Vadakalais’ fundamental rights. The Supreme Court set the next hearing for March 2026.