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

HC asks temple exec officers to produce property documents

TNN | Oct 24, 2018, 12.45 AM IST

Madurai: The executive officers of the Arulmigu Bhagavathy Amman temple of Kanyakumari district and Palani Subramaniya Swamy temple, Dindigul district respectively have been directed to be present before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court with statement of immovable properties belonging to the temples and the actual status of the properties.
A division bench of justice M V Muralidharan and justice T Krishnavalli issued the directions based on reports submitted by the principal district judges on the issues plaguing the temples under the Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department.

The bench also directed the HR&CE commissioner to issue appropriate instructions to all the executive officers to put up a notice about the list of properties belonging to the respective temples under their control along with particulars like survey number extent, nature and classification of the property.

“The said particulars shall be displayed in the notice board within a period of six months and the same shall be uploaded in department’s website,” the bench said adding, “However, this direction shall not apply to properties exempted under any special law.”

The bench further directed the commissioner to take stringent action against the encroachers of temple properties and see to it that they should be evicted without giving any room for them to once again grab the temple properties.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/hc-asks-temple-exec-officers-to-produce-property-documents/articleshowprint/66339197.cms

Treat all devotees equally in temples, HC directs HR&CE

  Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, October 23, 2018 00:49 IST

Let there not be any difference between the poor and rich, say judges

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday issued a series of 22 directions to Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for proper upkeep of over 36,000 temples under its control. The first of those directions was to ensure that all Pujas in the temples were performed only by “legally appointed” priests.

A Division Bench of Justices M.V. Muralidaran and T. Krishnavalli issued the directions after hearing a public interest litigation petition through video conferencing facility from Chennai. The judges appreciated all principal district judges in the State for having filed detailed reports with respect to the upkeep of temples within their jurisdictions.

After perusing those reports, the Bench directed the HR&CE Commissioner to ensure that all devotees were treated equally by the temple authorities without any differences between the poor and the rich because “all are equal before the Lord almighty.” The executive officers of individual temples must be instructed to ensure such equality, it added.

Free darshan queues should not be curtailed or restricted in order to promote paid darshan which could be utilised only for the purpose of augmenting the income of the temples, the judges said.

The other directions issued by the judges include installation of biometric devices to record attendance of temple staff including the priests, a prohibition on demand for more money by the priests from the devotees for performing special pujas, providing toilet facilities around all temples within three months and maintaining a hygienic atmosphere.

The court also ordered for installation of sign boards in Tamil and English inside the temples to help devotees reach the sanctum sanctorum of different deities, providing drinking water in all temples within three months and retrieving temple properties as well as shops from encroachments and illegal occupation within six months.

Taking note of the complaints of theft of ancient idols from temples, the judges wanted the HR and CE commissioner to file a detailed report by January 22 on the number of closed circuit television cameras that would be required to keep a vigil over the temple properties. A centralised control room could also be established in Chennai, they said.

Authoring the order, Mr. Justice Muralidaran insisted upon the need to ban plastic carrybags and water packets inside temples and planting of large number of saplings around every temple premises. It was ordered that temple structures should be renovated periodically and price charts should be displayed prominently near Prasadam stalls.

Remove encroachers from temples: HC to TN

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J STALIN
Published Oct 23, 2018, 2:59 am IST

He should also report as to the feasibility to set up a common control room at state level to keep surveillance over temples, the bench added.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple File photo
 Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple File photo

Chennai: In an attempt to retrieve the temple properties across the state, the Madras high court has directed authorities to identify the temple properties and shops, under illegal occupation and remove them within 6 months.

A division bench comprising Justices M.V. Muralidaran and T. Krishnavalli said, “The commissioner, HR & CE,  is directed to take stringent action against encroachers of the temple properties and see to that they should be evicted without giving any room for them to once again grab the property of the temples. Further the illegal occupants of the shops of the HR & CE temples in all over Tamil Nadu should be thrown out immediately without showing any leniency to them. The properties, vacant lands and buildings of the HR & CE temples in all over Tamil Nadu should not be allowed to swallow by the illegal occupants for their personal enrichment. If any of the temple officials are found in collusion with the illegal occupants/encroachers of the temple properties, stringent disciplinary action should be taken against them”.

 While passing interim orders on a PIL from R.S. Kalyanaraman relating to the administration of a temple in Tiruchendur, the bench had on July 27 directed the district judges in the state to submit reports about the prevailing conditions of the temples coming under the HR & CE department in their respective jurisdiction, as per the earlier directions of the Supreme Court.

Accordingly, the district judges filed their reports. After perusing the reports, the bench gave as many as 21 directions and directed the commissioner, HR & CE to comply with the same and file an interim compliance report on January 22, 2019.

The bench said it was needless to say that recent recovery of idols and even temple pillars from all over TN alarms the necessity of installation of CCTV cameras in temples to prevent exploitation of temple properties and theft of idols of deities as well other architecture work. The HR & CE commissioner shall submit a temple wise report under HR & CE control and the number of CCTV cameras required for complete surveillance as and where required in the temple premises and the said report shall be filed on January 22, 2019. He should also report as to the feasibility to set up a common control room at state level to keep surveillance over temples, the bench added.

Slew of directions

Among other directions, the bench directed the HR & CE Commissioner to issue suitable directions to the executive officers of the temples under the control of the HR & CE in TN to ensure that all the poojas were performed only by the legally appointed poojaris of the temples. The HR & CE commissioner was directed to ensure that all devotees were to be equally treated by the temple authorities without any differences between the poor and rich since all were equal before the Lord Almighty and he should direct the respective executive officers in all the temples to monitor the same daily, the bench added.
The bench said the free darsan line should be available in all the temples and it should not be reduced or restricted to promote the pay darsan lines. The poor people should not be discriminated in terms of money. The pay darsan lines were only to be permitted to the limited extent of improving revenue to the temple. The unnecessary VIP culture should be curtailed in future, the bench added.
The bench directed the HR & CE commissioner to issue suitable directions to all the executive officers of all the temples in the state to install biometric device for the entries of the staff including legally appointed Iyers/Poojaris into the temples. He was also directed to issue suitable directions to warn the legally appointed poojaris that they should not demand more money from the devotees for special poojas, the bench added.
The bench also directed the HR & CE to provide toilet and drinking water facilities in all the temples.
Pointing out insufficient staff available to man the temples across the state, the bench directed the HR & CE commissioner to furnish the district level figure as to the existing vacancies in all kinds of temples on the next hearing date.

High Court gives directions on temple maintenance

Staff Reporter
Madurai, October 23, 2018 00:00 IST
Seeks compliance report from HR and CE Department

Following the submission of inspection reports by District Judges on conditions of temples maintained by the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments as per its orders, Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Monday directed them to implement the recommendations.

A Division Bench of Justices M.V. Muralidaran and T. Krishnavalli appreciated the efforts taken by the District Judges, who were asked to file a report after ascertaining basic conditions at the temples maintained by the HR and CE department. The court directed the Department to implement the recommendations as swiftly as possible.

In order to curb duping of devotees, the court directed the department to ensure that pujas at the temple were performed only by legally-appointed priests, and a biometric device be installed to record their entry, besides giving them identity cards. The legally-appointed priests shall not demand additional money from devotees in the pretext of performing special pujas. All devotees should be treated equally, whether they were rich or poor, as everyone was equal before the almighty, the court said.

Taking note of inadequate toilet facilities and poor hygiene in majority of the temples, the court said these problems should be addressed at the earliest and within three months. Also drinking water facilities and security arrangements must be ensured.

Taking cognisance of idol thefts and their recovery, the court said CCTV cameras must be installed to bolster security.

Further, encroachments on temple properties should be identified and removed within six months. The survey numbers of temple land should be displayed at the shrine.

In order to maintain the environmental cover at temples, greenery should be preserved and plastics goods such as water packets and carry bags compulsorily banned. Some of the other recommendations included price board at prasadam stalls and installation of signboards in both Tamil and English.

The court sought a compliance report from the HR and CE Department and posted the case for January 22, 2019.