The Madras High Court has sought response from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department on allegations that it had used temple properties and funds for construction of its offices, purchase of luxury cars and other purposes, which was in violation of rules. There was a complete violation of Rules and Regulations.
Justice R. Mahadevan and PD Audikeshwalu directed temple activist TR Ramesh to file an additional affidavit listing the allegations leveled by him on the basis of information received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, and Special Public Prosecutor NRR Arun Natarajan File a directed reply.
Accordingly, Mr. Ramesh has filed an additional affidavit insisting on an external audit and constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by an Inspector General of Police rank officer, against the government and HR&CE officials. The case was made to prosecute those who had misappropriated temple properties and funds over the past two decades.
Mr. Ramesh has also sought a direction to the state government as well as the HR&CE department to ensure repayment of temple properties, which were usurped, with reported interest of 7.95% compounded annually And the wealth of the temple was restored. To be submitted by external auditors.
The petitioner argued that his success rate under the RTI Act was less than 10% and yet he found a huge amount of “criminal misappropriation” of temple funds and properties by the HR&CE department in violation of the provisions of the HR&CE Act. were able to put. and the statutory rules made thereunder.
‘Office made from temple funds’
Claiming that RTI replies have confirmed that funds belonging to various temples in the state were used to buy computers for HR&CE offices and even to repair toilets in those offices, the petitioner Asked: “Is it for this purpose that crores of devotees have put their money in the hundiyal (donation box) in the temple?”
The petitioner stated that the offices of Mayiladuthurai Regional Joint Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of HR&CE Department were constructed on the land belonging to Sree Samman Temple at Seetharkadu. The construction cost of ₹99 lakh was taken from four different funds of the temple.
Similarly, the Madurai Regional Joint Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner offices were built on land belonging to Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and the construction cost of ₹98 lakh was taken from five different temples. Another Rs 75 lakh was taken from the three temples for laying floors, installing windows and painting.
The petitioner accused the HR&CE department of deliberately keeping it below ₹1 crore to split the construction cost and avoid issuing government orders for the tendering process. The Tiruchi Regional Joint Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner offices were also constructed on the land of Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara temple, he said. He said that the total construction cost was divided into 94 lakhs, 41 lakhs and 11.50 lakhs to avoid government approval and the entire expenditure was embezzled from the surplus funds of 10 temples.
It was further alleged that the Vellore area offices were now planned on land belonging to a Hindu religious and charitable trust. The petitioner urged the court to restrain the HR&CE department from appropriating the assets belonging to the Chinni Ramaswamy Trust. He also relied on RTI replies to claim that the HR&CE department had used temple funds to buy high-end Toyota Innova cars costing ₹30 lakh for the use of VIPs.