Madras HC takes serious note of TN's great temple land robbery

Friday, 02 November 2018 | Kumar Chellappan | CHENNAI

   
The Madras High Court on Tuesday set the agenda for retrieving prime property lands worth thousands of crores of rupees belonging to temples administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) Department of the Tamil Nadu Government.

Justice S M Subramaniam while disposing of a petition filed by a devotee in this connection also expressed his displeasure and disappointment over the functioning of the HR&CE Department, the callousness of which led to massive encroachment of the temple lands situated in prime locations in the State. The case is being termed by devotees as the Great Temple Land Robbery.

“With all humility, this court with pain has to observe that the HR&CE Department remained as a silent spectator for such large scale illegalities  and corrupt activities. No one can believe that the higher  officials of the department are unaware of such illegalities and corrupt activities,” said the justice in his order.   

Justice R Mahadevan of the same court had issued an order on Fenruary 12, 2018  asking the HR&CE Department to recover more than 50,000 acres of temple land from illegal occupants. The HR&CE  department was yet to submit the details to the land to the court per the verdict.

Justice Subramanian also asked the HR&CE Department bosses to furnish the details of  immovable properties owned by more than 36,000  temples across the State which are administered by the department.

The Department has been asked to collate all details regarding the land owned by the temple which have been usurped by encroachers over the years and upload the same in the website of the department.

T R Ramesh, president, Temple Worshipers Society, an organisation working for restoring and regaining the landed properties belonging to the temples in Tamil Nadu, said the court order was just the tip of a multi-billion rupees scam involving politicians, bureaucrats and middle men.

‘Leaders of all political parties which have been ruling Tamil Nadu are involved in the robbery. The temple lands are instruments to generate funds to sustain the Hindu community in the State by ensuring their well— being by launching feeding centres, Veda Patasalas (schools to teach Vedas, Upanishats and religious science)  including educational institutions and hospitals. But what has happened is that the atheist Dravidian leaders squandered the temple lands to suit their convenience,” said Ramesh.

He pointed out how the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi (since deceased)  illegally took away 295 acres of prime land belonging to Thiruvarur Lord Siva temple for construction of the Central University in his constituency. “Not a rupee was given as compensation for this land till I issued a legal notice to the Government. Though the Tmil Nadu Government was forced to give compensation, it was totally inadequate,” said Ramesh.

The HR&CE officials are in the eye of a storm following the arrest of some senior officials in connection with the theft of idols from the temples administered by the department. “More than 7,000 antique and ancient idols have been missing from the temples and the HRCE officials are silent about the same,” said Rama Gopalan, leader, Hindu Front, an umbrella organisations of various Hindutwa outfits in Tamil Nadu.

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2018/india/madras-hc-takes-serious-note-of-tn-s-great-temple-land-robbery.html