CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Chengalpattu district Collector and other authorities to respond to a petition seeking a stay on the allocation of Thiruvidanthai temple land to the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial and Cooperative Society and an order to protect the property associated with the temples of the Thiruvidanthai village in the interest of the public and worshipers.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation plea filed by Andi Rathinam and others from Thiruvidanthai village, the summer vacation bench comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and SenthilKumar Ramamoorthy directed the Chengalpattu district administration, revenue authorities and the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial and Cooperative Society to respond to the petition within June 13 and adjourned the hearing.

The petitioners claimed that the land belonging to the Varaha temple (Nithya Kalyana temple) was classified as temple land and at the same time, 3 acres and 20 cents of the land belonging to the Ponniyamman temple was wrongly classified as Punjai anatheenam land and therefore a petition has been submitted to the government seeking to change the wrong classification of the land and grant a patta.

Subsequently, Tahsildar of Thiruporur taluk had issued a public notice regarding the allotment of the temple land to the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial and Cooperative Society.

However, the expenses including temple pujas are carried out with the income generated from the land belonging to the temples, the petitioners demanded that the allotment of the temple land to a third party should be prohibited.

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