TIRUCHY: The officials from the department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment retrieved a land worth Rs 7 crore belonging to the Sarangapani temple in Kumbakonam on Friday.

According to sources, a man named Udayakumar had rented 7,315 sq ft of land belonging to the Sarangapani temple and ran a school in the area. However, Udayakumar had failed to pay the rental amount for the last few years, prompting the officials at the HR&CE department to send a notice to him to pay the pending amount. Udayakumar then moved the Madras High Court against the officials on the notice.

The hearing did not go in favour of Udayakumar, and the bench directed him to immediately pay the pending rent. Despite the court direction, Udayakumar once again failed to pay the amount, leading to the officials appealing to the court in 2024. The court then directed the officials to vacate the tenant.

Accordingly, the HR&CE Assistant Commissioner Ramu, with the support of the police, went to the spot and retrieved the land belonging to the temple. The officials said, per the current market value, the retrieved land was worth Rs 7 crore.