CHENNAI: The First Bench consisting of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala on Monday ordered a notice to the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) to file within four weeks the response to a petition alleging several irregularities and improper management of the Arulmigu Veerateeswarar temple in Kancheepuram.
The judges adopted the statement hearing the public interest litigation filed by A Radhakrishanan of Salem. The petitioner requested the HR&CE to safeguard the Veeratteeswarar Temple, its properties and the administration of the temple.
“The temple properties are encroached upon and some of them have been added as respondents here and other than these respondents there are other persons are also encroached upon and however the department of the fifth defendant (HR&CE Commissioner) n ‘has taken no action to obtain the same,’ said the petitioner.
He further stated that he made a representation to the HR&CE Commissioner on July 1 to address the issues, i.e. improper and illegal renovation process of the temple, encroachment on temple properties and the maladministration of the failure in keeping the records of the temple in accordance with the provision. Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act 1959.
However, the authorities did not resolve the issues and simply carried out an investigation for name’s sake, Radhakrishnan added.
