The Madras High Court has appointed a management board for the Chidambaram Nataraja temple. The intervention targets maladministration while preserving the priests' control over rituals.
The Madras High Court has found maladministration at the ancient Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram under its hereditary priests, known as the Podhu Dikshitars, and constituted a Board of Management to oversee its administration, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The court said judicial intervention was required because of poor maintenance of heritage structures, failure to preserve temple properties and non-religious and commercial activities that had turned parts of the premises into a “food court”.Disposing of a batch of writ petitions, a Division Bench of Justices G Jayachandran and E Manoharan said transparent administration was needed to address the prevailing maladministration. In its order issued on Friday evening, the court also stressed the need to prevent further deterioration of the heritage structures inside the temple and preserve the ancient complex.“That apart, immediate steps are required to retrieve the temple assets.
Hence, the way forward to rectify the malady in the administration of the temple, which is revered by all Hindus, is a transparent administration which can eradicate the prevailing maladministration. Therefore, we constitute a Board of Management consisting of domain experts, who will take over the administration, till the ill is cured,” the court said.
Retired Madras High Court judge Justice V Bharathidasan will chair the board, while retired judge Justice R Suresh Kumar will be its co-chairman. Retired IAS officer C Rajendran will be a member.
The secretary of the Podhu Dikshitars of Sri Sabanayagar Temple, Chidambaram, and the Tamil Nadu government secretary of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department will be ex-officio members.The court said daily rituals and festivals would remain the exclusive responsibility of the Podhu Dikshitars and must be conducted in accordance with established customs and practices. Fixed deposits, other investments and temple income currently handled by the Podhu Dikshitars will also remain with them.
However, the secretary of the Podhu Dikshitars must submit a copy of the accounts to the Board of Management by the fifth day of every calendar month. All donations to the temple must be made through a single-window electronic payment system into an account specified by the board.According to PTI, the High Court noted that the temple had been under the administrative control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department for a short period.
In the 2014 Dr Subramanian Swamy versus State of Tamil Nadu case, the Supreme Court had held that even in cases of maladministration, permanent transfer of the right to administer a temple through the appointment of an executive officer from the department was not permissible.The Supreme Court had ruled that the right of a religious denomination to administer its property could be interfered with only on the ground of maladministration and only until the problem was remedied. Following that judgment, the temple administration returned to the Podhu Dikshitars.The High Court said: “For more than 12 years, the entire income of the temple is with the Podhu Dikshitars but they are not ready to share the true and full account of the income derived from the temple.
Therefore, we have no hesitation to record that the manner in which the ancient structure of the temple has been damaged and ill-maintained under the management of the Podhu Dikshitars is disheartening.”The court said new structures had been put up indiscriminately, indicating maladministration of temple property. It also cited extensive damage to heritage structures and the failure to provide complete and accurate accounts as grounds for judicial intervention.The order referred to donations collected in the name of 'Annadhanam' and 'Annapavadai', boards displaying menus and organisers being allowed to use the dining hall inside the temple.
It said such non-religious and commercial activities had converted the temple premises into a “food court”. The failure to preserve temple properties also required immediate judicial intervention, the court said.The Board of Management has been directed to take charge immediately and work to restore the temple.
The Revenue and Public Works Departments must provide the assistance needed to implement the court's directions. The board will oversee the administration until the identified problems are addressed, while the Podhu Dikshitars will continue to conduct rituals and festivals and handle the temple's existing investments and income, subject to regular submission of accounts.- Ends