Chennai: The Madras High Court has prohibited devotees from using mobile phones in temples across Tamil Nadu, in an attempt to maintain the sanctity of the places of worship.

The court has said that temples should set up phone deposit lockers for the convenience of people visiting the temples, reports NDTV.

In addition, security personnel will be appointed, to ensure the compliance of this order.

The High Court order came as a ban was sought on the use of mobile phones in the Subramanya Swamy Temple.

The petitioner had argued that the phones distract people while clicking photographs of deities is a violation of agama rules. The security of the temples could be endangered due to photography; women would also become apprehensive about their pictures being taken without their consent.

The petitioner also asked for compliance of a decent dress code for decorum at the temples.

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New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.

The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.

According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.

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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.

Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.

On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).

On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.

A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."

A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.

Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.

Further investigation and proceedings are underway.