MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to file a report on the steps taken to recover temple properties across the State.

A Division Bench comprising Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan also observed that officials had started indulging in irregularities involving temple properties and no longer feared court proceedings as they did in the past.

The court issued the direction while hearing a PIL petition filed by Radhakrishnan, founder of Thiruthondar Sabha, seeking protection of all properties belonging to the Sankara Rameswarar Temple in Thoothukudi and the Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple.

He sought directions to constitute a committee headed by the Thoothukudi Collector and comprising officials from various departments to take comprehensive measures to protect the temple properties.

The petitioner stated that the Madras High Court had already passed detailed orders regarding the recovery of temple properties across the State, but they had not been implemented.

He also sought an inquiry into the action taken by subordinate treasury officials in inspecting the temple properties and directions to register appropriate criminal cases against officials who had allegedly acted in favour of encroachers.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Radhakrishnan reiterated that the court's earlier order had not been implemented.

Meanwhile, the government counsel submitted that the Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple had rental arrears of around Rs 1 crore.

The judges questioned how persons who had taken temple properties on lease for commercial purposes could remain in arrears without paying rent. “If rent is not paid for three months, should not the temple administration issue proper notice and evict them?” the judges asked.

The judges also observed that officials had started indulging in irregularities involving temple properties and were themselves fixing rent for certain persons. “Earlier, officials used to fear when a case was brought before the court. That fear is no longer there,” the judges observed.

The judges then directed the HR&CE Commissioner to file a report detailing the steps taken to recover temple properties across Tamil Nadu in accordance with the earlier orders passed by the High Court.

The case was subsequently adjourned.